I'm a Human
by daphrose
Summary: With Douglas out of the picture, the Davenports can finally get back to their normal lives. But that's a lot harder than it sounds. A dying android, Chase learning to write left-handed, and other various scars still haunt the family. Still, they are home, and they have each other. What more could Chase possible want? (Sequel to "I'm a Monster.")
1. Prologue

**Well, well, well, lookie who's back. It's me, everybody! :D Wow, not even thirty-six hours and I'm already posting this. Hooray!**

**So for those of you who clicked on this and have not read the other I AM Trilogy stories, this is an AU. Go back and read I'm a Weapon and I'm a Monster or you will have no idea what's going on. This story will be rated T for: mentions of abuse, injuries, death, and depression.**

**Okay, now that the warnings are out of the way: I am aware that this prologue is not very long. I apologize for that. It was really all I could do, and I think for its length it packs in some powerful ideas. Hopefully that can make up for it.**

**I do not own Lab Rats! Enjoy the prologue to I'm a Human, everyone!**

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*** * * Prologue * * ***

* * *

Some wounds cut too deep to ever heal. They stay, painfully reminding you of that one incident where something went horribly wrong. Nothing anybody says or does can make it any better. You are doomed with this horrible reminder for the rest of your life. A scar.

Scars take many forms. There are physical ones, but there are emotional ones too. Emotional scars might just hurt even more. They dig deep into your core, undermining your confidence and your hope.

For the Davenport family, scars were abundant. They cut deep into each member. They were expressed with subtle actions, through dialogue, and sometimes through something as simple as a forlorn gaze. A reassuring smile could not mask what that person was hiding inside. On the inside there was only pain.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former captive, kidnapped by his own brother and held hostage for many years. Nothing can top the pain of a relative – someone you love and deeply care about – betraying you. No matter what he did, he couldn't heal the rift that steadily grew between him and his brother. Before he knew it, that rift grew out of control, destroying his life and the lives of everyone around him.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former stable boy, treated with little dignity and respect in his life. Did he ever ask for all this? No. But that was the kind of thing you do for family. Even if it meant being kidnapped by your step-dad's psychotic younger brother.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former circus worker, concerned for her son and niece and nephews, as always. She knew what she was signing up for when she married the love of her life, and she didn't care. Let her get hit with a gun and captured. Struggles bind a family.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former circus strong man, whipped and beat into submission. The never-fading lines on his back would serve as a reminder for years to come. He had watched in his early years as his own siblings were hurt, over and over again, while he was powerless to stop it.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former dancer, striped of all dignity and decency. Her feisty spirit only served to get her in trouble over the years. Hallucinations and dreams warped her, leaving her nearly hopeless until she was finally rescued. Teasing her brothers was a cover for how much she deeply cared about them.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former training device, unwanted by anyone around him. A stupid android, a dumb robot, a terrible brother . . . these kinds of labels restricted him and disgraced him. Not to mention the fact that he was dying, much earlier than anyone ever should. But no one cared, right? He was worthless.

Scars presented themselves in the form of a former weapon, terrorized every day of his life by his father. Names and beatings were common, even anticipated by the young boy. He had come to believe the lies told about himself. It destroyed him, constantly tearing him up inside.

The thing about scars, though: they fade. It is a slow process, and never a complete one. But with time things can be glossed over. The outside image of being happy is perfected, and no one can tell what lies beneath the surface. Joy shines a bit of light, no matter how small, into your life.

Fading presented itself in the form of a tech mogul, freed from his brother's prison and rebuilding his technological empire. He began a family, with a lovely wife, a step-son, and his niece and nephews that he had taken in as his own.

Fading presented itself in the form of a klutzy, supportive step-cousin, finding a home and some friends who cared about him. It didn't matter that he constantly "Leo-d things up" or was quite nosy about the bionics; he was accepted and treated fairly for once in his life.

Fading presented itself in the form of a motherly worrier, concerned not only for her own child, but the new kids in her life as well. She had found a wonderful husband and a new job as a news reporter (regardless of what anyone had said about her reporting skills).

Fading presented itself in the form of a lovable goofball, teased in the most loving way. He could protect his siblings and talk to them no matter what. People were wont to laugh when he was around; not _at _him, but _with _him. Carefree and happy-go-lucky were two words that very accurately described his personality.

Fading presented itself in the form of a boy-crazy teenage girl, texted by her friends a hundred times a day. Social life was important to her, and she had one. Even with all her friends, she still made time to be with her brothers. Sure, they drove her _crazy _sometimes, but at the end of the day she still loved them.

Fading presented itself in the form of a dying android, tempted to close himself off from the world until his time came. But he knew he couldn't do that. Even if they were still a bit wary, he finally had a family. They sincerely cared and tried to help him.

Fading presented itself in the form of a human, called many things but that. 'Monster' and 'weapon' had lost all meaning. They were pointless words in his ears. He was a human, loved by his family and cared for by those around him. The cruel words were lies; they had always been lies. He knew that now.

It would be a very long time before everyone healed. In truth, they would probably never heal completely. They had been hurt too much to ever fully recover. Sad as it was, it was true.

This was all the fault of one man. One man who was selfish and arrogant enough to kidnap people and overwork them for his own personal gain. Abuse and torment was something like a game to him; a game that he was determined to win. That kind of attitude broke his family and eventually led to his undoing.

Sometimes Chase wondered if Douglas, too, had scars. Was there some kind of wound that cut deep into his heart? Was there any kind of fading, or did he live with something that tore him up day after day? Chase hadn't noticed anything that would've suggested that was the case, but perhaps Douglas had learned to hide it well. Was it possible that Douglas was just as broken as the rest of them?

Chase had tried to keep his thoughts off of Douglas. He wanted to concentrate on the family he had with him now, and the fact that he _could _be with them. That same elation he had felt a year earlier was increased tenfold as Chase returned home yet again.

Readjusting had been required, to be sure. The Davenports had been gone for nearly two weeks. Questions abounded and interrogations from friends ensued. It took a while to get the story just right so they could tell it to others. Of course they couldn't say, "Well, my evil father captured us all and tormented us in an underground lair in Alaska." They instead opted to tell people that they had gone on an impromptu vacation.

Not only that, but there was readjusting back to normal life. Chase had never realized it, but he had grown up in a very certain state of mind. When Douglas captured them all, Chase had slipped back into his previous way of thinking. A way that allowed for injuries and insults to fly over his head; a way that made him cold and emotionless so the pain would be more bearable; a way that caused him to think along a dangerous track of hopelessness.

To change those despondent thoughts to happy ones was not an easy thing. Last time Chase was eased into it, but suddenly he was back home and pushed into the face of the world. Changing his thinking and attitude had to happen quickly before anyone would notice.

Those thoughts, however, were not easily banished. Chase's mind was ever on the plight he had gone through. He and his family had endured a lot; that wasn't easily forgettable. Every topic somehow reminded him of Douglas. His brain could not focus on anything else.

The names, the pain, the blood, the agony, the anger, the hatred . . . all of it refused to leave his mind. Nothing could change the way Chase thought. This would be one of those slowly fading scars.

Nonetheless, life moved on, with or without Chase. So he might as well ride along. It was bumpy, it was crazy, but it was worth it. Chase had his family again. They were there for each other and that was all that mattered. These scars could be dealt with, because they had each other for support. Recovering from Douglas was made easier when the family came together and helped one another.

Scars fade slowly. But they do fade.

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**Again, sorry for the length. But I feel like I packed a lot in. Deep, huh? That was fun to write. But, **_**boy**_**, were Tasha and Leo HARD! Did I do okay with them? They've been pretty minor characters in this story, so I hope I pulled it off well.**

**The chapters for this story will most likely all be short (or shorter than normal). Sorry about that! On the bright side, that means updates will be faster. There will be six chapters to this story, as well as a prologue (this chapter) and . . . drum roll please . . . an epilogue! I am super excited for that. I have an awesome idea that will be very different from anything I have ever written before. (By the way, that means there will be a total of eight "chapters" to this story.)**

**Alright, well, I hope you enjoyed that. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought. I appreciate all the feedback! I'll see you at chapter one in a few days. Bye! :D**


	2. Chapter 1: Home

**Hey everyone! I'm back! Sorry it took so long. I've been busy all week, and I actually had a really hard time starting this chapter. But I did it! And I'm happy with how it came out (especially the flashback, which I was worried about). Thanks for all your great reviews on the last chapter!**

**Okay, so, for those of you worrying about Douglas (*looks at ****Ra'Zara The First*****) don't worry, you'll find out what happened to him. Patience. I do have plans for Douglas as well.**

**Alright, so, let's get on with it! I don't own Lab Rats. Enjoy the first official chapter of I'm a Human.**

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*** * * Chapter 1: Home * * ***

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Chase lay completely still, staring at the ceiling above him. The textured, creamy-white paint stared back at him. There was something about it that was so soothing. Maybe it was the color. White was pristine and calm, like freshly fallen snow. It didn't demand an entrance, but ushered in its beauty quietly. It was the color of everything good and pure in the world.

Since when had Chase gotten so philosophical? Thinking deeply about the meaning of colors . . . the bionic let out a breathy laugh and sat up. He glanced around the room yet again.

The red quilt on his bed matched the shag rug on the floor. A blue desk chair sat at the desk where a silvery computer was perched. In the corner was a bookshelf stacked high with all of Chase's favorite reads. Sunlight came in through the window above the desk, creating no need for the green lamp on Chase's nightstand.

Everything was perfect and in place, just like it should be. Funny to think that it had still been this way even when Chase had been gone. The room had remained the same, waiting patiently for his return.

Chase had been lying on his bed for a while, just thinking. It turned out that beds were actually great places for doing that. It almost made Chase wish he had grown up with one. No, sleeping standing up was much more natural to him.

Still, Chase had been thinking mostly about what Donald had told him just over an hour ago. The words had been as gentle as they could be, but they were still harsh in Chase's ears. He knew it was the truth, but he didn't want to hear it.

_"I'm sorry, Chase. There's nothing I can do."_

Chase held up his hand and for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few days, studying the red lines running across his wrist. "As if the kids in school didn't have enough to tease me about," he muttered. He gingerly touched it with his left hand, but hissed and quickly drew back at the pain. This dreadful scar would be a permanent reminder that Chase would never again use super-speed or super-strength.

It had been only six days since the Davenports had gotten free – nearly a whole week. No one had talked much about what had happened in Alaska. Everyone moved slowly, mechanically, as if walking through a dream. Chase didn't think anyone dared to believe it was real.

After a whole week, however, they were starting to come around. Donald had examined Chase's bionics and determined that it was beyond his ability to fix. The chip was too damaged, he said. It's simply not possible, he said.

Right now Donald was examining Marcus. Chase had remembered his promise to his brother and asked the tech mogul to find a way to extend Marcus's life span. Whether it would work or not, Chase had no idea. But if anyone could fix Marcus, it would be Donald Davenport.

Finally Chase decided to head back downstairs. It had been nearly an hour since he had retreated to his room, and he was ready to find out what the rest of his family was up to – and if Donald had found a way to fix Marcus or not.

As Chase headed down the halls, he noticed the family pictures that had been put up. He grinned and slowed down to get a good look at them. Needless to say, the Davenports did not have many photos. At least, not many old ones. Most had been taken in the past year. Most, but not all.

There was a picture of a very young Donald, standing beside a science fair project. His rocket-ship had a first place ribbon pinned on it. The dark-haired preteen had a large smile on his face.

There was a picture of Tasha holding a very young – as in, a few days old – Leo. She wasn't looking into the camera, but she was smiling at her son as she cradled him in her arms. Leo looked surprisingly calm for a newborn. He stared back up at his mother with a fixed, fascinated gaze.

One of the final pictures in the long row was one that Chase knew well. He had studied a hundred times in his life. It was the picture that had given him hope for so long. It was framed now, but if you looked close you could still see the wrinkled edges where Chase had worn it away with his handling.

Adam, Bree, and Chase himself were smiling into the camera. It was the only picture of them taken before they escaped Douglas – well, for the first time. It would be the only childhood picture Chase would ever have. That was actually kind of sad.

As Chase moved down the hall, he found more recent pictures. Adam, Bree, and Chase on their first day of school. Tasha and Donald sitting on a picnic blanket in the park. Adam making faces at the fish in the aquarium. Bree in a dress she had worn to one of the school dances. Leo at his birthday party, blowing out the candles. And a picture very similar to the one of the young Donald. Only this time, it was a fifteen year old with spiky, light brown hair. Chase was standing in front of his science fair board, proudly displaying his first place ribbon.

This was only the beginning. Chase found himself smiling at the idea of sharing many future memories with his family. Despite the lack of childhood photos, they could make up for it with all the exciting things they would do now. Hopefully. One thing Chase had learned about the future: it is entirely unpredictable.

Chase headed downstairs to find Tasha and Bree conversing at the counter while Adam and Leo sat on the couch playing video games. They hadn't gone back to school yet; they weren't quite ready. This was pretty much the same thing they had been doing the past week: attempting to do typical, everyday things to try and find that sense of normality again.

Bree smiled at her brother as she casually leaned her elbows on the counter. Tasha went to the fridge and started to look through it, presumably to find something to make for dinner. Adam and Leo began shouting at their game.

Chase walked across the room to Bree. She was still smiling, but there was a bit of tiredness and heartache lurking behind her happy expression. That was one of those covers for the scars they all had.

"What's up?" she asked. "Last time I saw you, you were heading upstairs like you didn't want to talk to anybody. Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking," Chase sighed. "Donald said he couldn't fix my bionics."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Bree said in the best apologetic tone she could muster.

"Have Donald and Marcus come up yet?"

"Um, no, not yet. Chase, I'm still a bit uncomfortable with him being here."

"Trust me, Bree, he's changed. Some. Besides, if we absolutely need to, we can shut him off. Give him a chance. If my suspicions are correct, he won't have much time left, anyway."

"Okay," Bree agreed, but she didn't sound convinced.

"Do you guys want hamburgers or frozen pizzas for dinner?" Tasha called, her head still in the fridge.

"Pizza!" Adam shouted from across the room.

"Yeah!" Leo agreed loudly.

"Pizza's good," was Chase's response.

"Pepperoni, right?" Bree asked. "That sounds yummy."

"I guess it's unanimous," Tasha said. She closed the fridge and walked to the oven to preheat it.

"I'm going to head down to the lab and see Donald and Marcus," Chase announced.

"Knock yourself out," Bree muttered. Just then her phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket excitedly. Chase knew he had lost Bree's attention entirely.

The elevator ride down was completely uneventful – though Chase would've been quite surprised if it _was _eventful. He was in an elevator, for goodness' sake! Not everything in his life needed to be an adventure! The only thing that happened was Chase wondering if Donald would be able to fix Marcus at all – though he had a feeling he knew the answer already.

The elevator dinged and Chase stepped out. Marcus was leaning on the cyberdesk while Donald typed a few things into it. Marcus looked a bit stronger now, though that might be partially due to the fact that Donald had created a capsule him a few days ago. Recharging had given Marcus a bit of his strength back, though not much.

"What's the diagnosis?" Chase asked as he walked into the lab and gained the attention of his brother and uncle.

"I think you already know," Marcus said bitterly, his eyes downcast.

"I really tried," Donald sighed. "His circuit boards have been completely fried. His system wasn't made to last this long, and the strain he put on it isn't helping." Chase noticed the way Marcus gripped the edge of the cyberdesk until his knuckles turned white. He stared blankly at the desk while Donald finished explaining. "He'll burn out in about a month."

"Burn out," Marcus said with a sharp laugh. "Your nice way of saying 'die.' Don't try to soften it. And besides, it's _less _than a month. _Less_."

"About," Donald corrected.

"Which means less."

Marcus still hadn't looked up. His facial expression hadn't changed at all. Donald caught Chase's eye and he shrugged.

"I really hate having to be the bearer of bad news twice in one day," the tech mogul said.

"It's fine," Chase assured him. "It's not like we didn't know these things already."

For a few seconds there was silence. Marcus didn't move. His gaze was hard. Marcus was an android; he wasn't supposed to have emotions. Yet here he was, as upset as any human would be if they were told they only had a month left to live.

"Marcus–" Chase began, approaching his brother.

"You happy?" Marcus shouted, swinging around wildly. "I'm finally going to die! Isn't that what you've been waiting for your whole life?"

"No, actually, I was just starting to like you." It was meant to come off as a joke, but Marcus was not smiling.

"I'm going upstairs to my room," Marcus growled, storming out of the lab. Like the bionics, Marcus had been given a bedroom where he could be alone when he wanted.

"Are violent mood swings typical for a dying robot?" Chase asked, walking closer to his uncle.

"No, it's just typical for Marcus," Donald replied, his tone half-joking yet half-serious. "Look, Chase, give him a break."

"Like he's ever given me one," Chase muttered quietly under his breath. Not quietly enough, apparently.

"You're still holding a grudge?"

"I don't want to! But I can't help but remember all the things he did to me."

"Douglas was just as hard on him, you know."

"Speaking of Douglas," Chase said, eager to change the subject, "should we still be worried about him?"

"I'm not sure," Donald said. He looked at Chase out of the corner of his eye, which meant he was suspicious about the subject change. "He hasn't bothered us . . . yet. We should probably stay on our toes. But you said you destroyed his Triton control device?"

"As far as I know. But you should probably remove the app from our systems – if possible – just to be safe."

"I'll look into that," Donald said. "Want to start now?"

"Sure," Chase replied with a shrug.

"Great. But oh, Chase? We're not done talking about Marcus."

There was a pause. "I know."

* * *

Endless training was endless._ Yet somehow it did end . . . which was a paradox . . . whatever, Chase was making a point! And that point was that training went for a very long time. Normal kids complain when they have homework all evening. _Yeah? _Chase thought. _Why don't you trade places with me? You'd never complain about homework again!

_The door behind Chase opened, interrupting his ranting thoughts. He turned to see Marcus standing there. "Ugh, what do you want?" Chase said, turning back around to stare at the blank television in front of him._

_ "Gee, a 'hello' would be nice," Marcus said sarcastically. He walked over and stood beside the couch. "Um, you know, the TV works much better when you turn it _on_."_

_ Chase just made a face. "Don't you and our _dear _father have some . . . weird . . . thing you should be doing together?" Okay, not the best insult ever, he'd admit. But it was all he could think of. He was tired._

_ "Actually, my training is done for the day," Marcus said matter-of-factly._

_ "Great for you," Chase muttered. "Now why are you talking to me again?"_

_ Marcus just scowled. Then he looked down at his feet and scuffed them against the floor. "Um, you know it's my birthday, right?"_

_ Chase frowned and wrinkled his brow. "Huh. Oh, oh yeah," he said._

_ "And I turn eight today," Marcus continued._

_ "What do you want, a 'happy birthday'?" Chase asked. "I've never said it before; why would I start now?"_

_ "No," Marcus said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not expecting that. But . . . but I'm _eight_."_

_ "And?"_

_ "And . . . eight is half of sixteen."_

_ "I know; super-genius!" Chase pointed to himself._

_ "What I'm trying to say is that I'm half-dead already!" Marcus shouted loudly. "Why don't you just make me spell it out for you, huh?"_

_ "Oh," Chase said slowly, understanding what Marcus was getting at. "So, you're upset because you've already lived half your life. And you're coming to me why?"_

_ "Who else am I supposed to go to?" Marcus said. He plopped down on the floor and crossed his legs. "Douglas? He just hits me every time I bring up the fact that I even _have _a life span. Adam or Bree? Well, I mean, it's the same as you. But Adam's . . . Adam, and Bree's a girl."_

_ "What does Bree being a girl have to do with anything?" Chase asked, quirking an eyebrow._

_ "I dunno." Marcus shrugged. "Look, I just thought I'd try talking to you! But clearly that's not working."_

_ Chase sighed loudly. "Okay, fine, what do you want to talk about?" he asked. He would talk to Marcus. It's not like there was anything else to do, anyway. But he would make it very clear that this was not something he was enjoying. If Marcus looked uncomfortable, Chase would consider his mission accomplished._

_ "I've just been thinking a lot," Marcus said, staring at the wall across from him. "I've already lived half my life and I've done nothing at all."_

_ "Aww, Marcus, that's not true," Chase began. For a second a hint of a smile tugged at Marcus's mouth. "You've made enemies out of your siblings, you've been a complete jerk, and you've made everyone around you hate you."_

_ Marcus just scowled more and folded his arms across his chest. "On TV they always talk about 'making your mark on the world,'" the android said. "How can I do that? I've never even been _outside_. And I'm already half-gone! Half my life has been completely wasted."_

_ Chase was about to answer, but the door opened up again. The sound of loud bickering filled the room. Chase and Marcus turned to see Adam and Bree walk in._

_ "I did not!" Bree was insisting._

_ "Did to!" Adam shot back._

_ "No, I did _not_! You're just inhumanly bad at rock-paper-scissors."_

_ "No, you cheated!"_

_ "How would you even cheat at rock-paper-scissors?"_

_ "Fine! Let's ask Chase!"_

_ "Here we go again," Chase muttered. "Hey, I'm right here!"_

_ Adam and Bree stormed up to couch, completely neglecting the fact that their younger android brother was sitting on the ground a few feet away. Both Adam and Bree began a barrage of words, each telling a very different side to the story. Chase blinked a few times and tried to understand them, but because they were talking at the same time it was difficult._

_ "Shut up!" Chase shouted. "Why am _I _always your peacekeeper?"_

_ "Because you're smart," Adam said like it was obvious._

_ "You're the only one not involved in this," Bree said. "You're unbiased."_

_ "Well someone learned a new word today," Marcus said quietly._

_ Bree froze and turned to look at the android. Adam too looked down at Marcus. They both frowned and looked between Chase and Marcus._

_ "Uh, what's he doing here?" Bree asked._

_ "I live here too," Marcus said, clearly offended._

_ "No, you, here, in this room, with Chase," Bree said._

_ "Try making a complete sentence, sweetheart," Marcus said condescendingly._

_ "Adam, hold her," Chase instructed._

_ Adam obeyed, wrapping his arms around his sister's waist as she tried to lunge at Marcus. The android stood up and backed away, but he was – surprisingly – smiling._

_ "You know, this isn't even unusual," he said with a laugh. "Maybe I _have _done something with my life."_

_ "What are you talking about? And let go of me, Adam!"_

_ Adam gave a sly grin. "Not until you admit that you cheated at rock-paper-scissors!"_

_ "Did _not_!" Bree whined in a high-pitched voice. "But I'll teach you how to braid strands of yarn if you let me go."_

_ Adam seemed to think about it for a second. "Deal," he said, releasing his grip on his sister. She smiled up at him before turning back around to face Marcus._

_ "He's scared because he's half-dead," Chase said._

_ "What, is he a zombie or something?" Adam asked._

_ "No, Adam, he's eight years old today," Chase replied. "He dies when he's sixteen."_

_ "Thanks for ripping that bandage off, Chase," Marcus said with a wince._

_ "We all know it; you just said it a few minutes ago," Chase protested._

_ "Why is him being eight so important?" Adam asked, furrowing his brow._

_ "You're so dense," Bree said. "Eight is half of sixteen!"_

_ "He's already lived half his life," Chase added._

_ "Oh!" Adam exclaimed._

_ "And he's scared?" Bree asked._

_ "So what if I am?" Marcus sat back down on the floor. "Death is a frightening thing to think about."_

_ "What even happens to a robot when they die?" Adam asked._

_ "That I don't want to think about at all," Marcus whispered._

_ "Look, Marcus," Bree said slowly, clearly pained to be helpful to Marcus in any way, "you're only eight. You've still got half of your life left. I mean, eight years is a long time! I've been alive for eight years too. I don't even remember some of it, but I know it's a long time."_

_ "Yeah," Adam agreed. "Hey, you might be half-dead, but that means you're half-alive, right? Wait, did I do the math right on that one?"_

_ "Surprisingly, yes," Bree told him._

_ "Thanks Adam," Marcus sighed. He stood up again and bowed his head. "You know, being told that you have only so much time left to live is everybody's worst nightmare. But I've known that from the start. People start thinking of things they want to do . . . making bucket lists, and stuff."_

_ "Why you want to make a list about different buckets you want?" Adam scoffed. "That's just silly!"_

_ Marcus raised an eyebrow but chose to ignore him. "I'll never even get to go outside. Thanks for trying to make me feel better. See you guys later." Marcus marched out of the room._

_ "I will never understand him," Bree said once he had gone. "He's our friend one minute and a traitor the next."_

_ "Yeah," Chase agreed, "but he's also a terrified robot that only has eight years left to live."_

_ "In some ways I feel bad for him," Adam added, "but part of me will be glad when he's gone. He's so complicated!"_

_ "I agree," Chase said. "But you know what, we've been training all day, and we should spend our free time doing something other than talking about a dying robot. Why did you guys come in here again?"_

_ Oh, how Chase would regret asking that question. Suddenly he found himself throw into a massive argument that had no clear solution. Before he knew it, he was a mediator in "The Great Rock-Paper-Scissors Debate of 2006."_

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**How did you guys like it? That whole "Marcus's 8****th**** birthday" thing was actually a last-minute decision. I was just going to have them talk about Marcus's eventual death. But I thought throwing in a birthday (especially the one that marked half of his life) would work even better. The "family pictures" in the regular part of the story was another last-minute thing. The more you know!**

**I'm not super happy about how the chapter ended (before the flashback), but oh well. I really couldn't figure out what else to do.**

**The rock-paper-scissors thing was actually inspired by something j. liz. 8 said to me in PM. She was speculating that perhaps Adam is "inhumanely bad" at rock-paper-scissors. I thought that would make for a funny little story. XD**

**How was the chapter? Five more chapters and an epilogue to go. Begin the countdown! Let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review. That's always appreciated! See you all soon! :D**


	3. Chapter 2: School

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating in over a week. Life has come down on me and I've been extremely busy. I won't be able to update (this story or any other ones) quite as often. Sorry if you're bummed about that, but understand where I'm coming from. I need a bit of grace and patience right now. 'Kay? Thanks! :3**

**Okay, so, I've got a fun chapter for you. It's light hearted and pretty funny in places (I think). It might not be one of my best, but hey, I think it's alright. Presentable, let's say.**

**Oh, by the way, if you're from Oregon, please don't be offended by this chapter! I've been there several times and it really is a great place! I'm just saying, it's not Paris. Which in this chapter is a good thing.**

**The flashback for this chapter has been requested so many times I'm not even sure I can name everyone. I know AllAmericanSlurp and Lady Cougar Trombone have both asked for it. And more, I'm pretty sure. I hope it turned out the way you guys wanted!**

**Alright, enjoy this long overdue chapter. I don't own Lab Rats!**

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*** * * Chapter 2: School * * ***

* * *

Chase shoved a few more pencils into the front pouch of his backpack. It was always best to be prepared! The bionics (and Leo) would return to school the next day. Donald had already talked with the teachers and gotten a few things straightened out. They wouldn't have to do quite as much work for a few weeks.

The teens had already been preparing their little "speeches" for the questions that would most certainly be asked. They went on an impromptu vacation to visit family in Oregon. Oregon was boring enough that people would most likely not ask more questions. But if they did, the Davenports went because of a sickly grandfather. They went to the beach once or twice, but most of the time they sat inside and played bored games. It would be an effective cover, hopefully.

Everyone knew the plan and the story, even Adam. The oldest bionic especially had been quizzed on it, and he had done surprisingly well. It looked like they would have nothing to worry about.

Chase placed his backpack on his desk chair and headed downstairs for dinner. Tasha, Donald, and Bree were in the kitchen, getting the food ready and chatting. Adam and Leo were in their usual places on the couch, watching some childish cartoon. Marcus sat as far away from them as he could possibly be on the sofa, his expression one of pure boredom.

"Hey guys," Chase said as he sat down in the chair beside them. "Ready for school tomorrow?"

Leo groaned in response.

"Don't remind me!" Adam said.

"Oh, come on, it will be fun!" Chase said.

"You're idea of fun and my idea of fun are very, very different," Leo said.

"Yeah, Chase, your idea of fun is different from everyone else's!" Adam complained.

Marcus snickered.

"Oh, what are you laughing at?" Chase barked, though he was trying to conceal a smile.

"Hey, it's true!" Marcus said, holding up his hands and grinning. "You're just a wet blanket."

"How would you even know if school is fun or not?" Chase retorted. "You've never gone."

"True," Marcus said with a shrug.

"Hey, Marcus, why don't you come to school with us?" Bree asked as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Chase agreed.

"Oh, um, I don't know . . ."

"Yeah, he doesn't need to be going to school," Leo piped up.

Marcus looked around. "I'm not sure. I mean, what happens when I suddenly stop going in a month? Won't people ask questions?"

"Probably," Chase said. "But we can answer them. I think you'd like it."

"What's even the point?" the android sighed.

"You'd get to do _something _besides sitting around the house moping," Adam said.

"Yeah, we'll be gone anyway," Bree pointed out. "Just come with us."

"Well, ah, alright," Marcus conceded slowly. "I'll go to school."

* * *

"This place is actually kinda cool," Marcus said gruffly.

"I think of it as a nice little escape," Chase said with a smile.

"Oh, that's nice," Leo said coolly. "I think of it as a nice little prison."

"If he doesn't like it, then I think I might," Marcus said with a smug grin. Leo just scowled at him.

"Oh my gosh, there's Caitlin and the gang!" Bree squealed. "Later, losers!" Bree rushed off to be with her friends.

"Oh, and there's Janelle!" Leo exclaimed. "I should probably explain why I haven't been answering her texts." Leo also ran off before anyone could say anything.

"Hey!" a harsh, grating voice shouted. Chase recognized it immediately and winced.

"Oh, hi Principle Perry!" Adam said as the three boys turned around.

"Who's the new kid?" Perry asked, looking at Marcus like she was a hawk and he was her prey. No doubt that's how she actually saw him.

"This is, um . . ." Adam said, scratching the back of his head.

"Our cousin!" Chase cut in. "Yeah, um, this is our cousin, Marcus. He's visiting from . . . Oregon. He'll be staying with us for a month."

"Right," Marcus muttered under his breath. "A month."

Alright, Chase was sorry for his brother, he would admit it. But this whole moping thing was getting old. Couldn't he just live life normally for a few seconds?

"Oh, only a month?" Perry asked, clearly disappointed. "Well, might as well make the best of it."

The group followed Principal Perry into her office. She got Marcus a schedule and assigned him a locker.

"There, you're all set," she said. "Now scram, vermin, I've got things to do!" The pudgy principal waddled away.

"And that's normal too?" Marcus asked, pointing after her.

"Unfortunately, yeah," Adam answered.

"Come on, Marcus, your locker isn't far from ours." Chase led his android brother through the halls. He showed Marcus his locker and how to open it. Even though it was silly, Chase felt a bit of pride swelling within him. Just a few months ago Chase had been the one learning how school worked. Now he knew it well enough to teach someone else.

"Hi Chase!" a peppy female voice called. Chase jumped and turned to see Rachel Webster approaching with her friend next to her.

"Oh, hey Rachel," he said meekly. Adam continued to show Marcus the locker (Chase heard something about 'a great place to store leftover food').

"You and your family were gone for a while," Rachel said. "Where were you?"

"And who's that kid?" her friend asked in a somewhat dreamy voice. She motioned to Marcus and grinned sheepishly.

"We were in Oregon on a family trip," Chase said quickly. "That's my cousin, Marcus."

"Oh. Hi Marcus!" the other girl said.

Marcus turned around quickly and gave a half-hearted grin. "Um, hello," he said quietly.

"Hi, I'm Nicole," the girl said, holding out her hand. Marcus stared at it for a moment before reaching out and shaking it.

Chase leaned over to Adam. "He has no idea how to be social, does he?" he whispered.

"Nope," Adam chuckled. "This should be good."

"Um, I'm Marcus," Marcus said. He looked down at his hand and slowly pulled it away from Nicole's.

"Well, Marcus, it's nice to meet you," Nicole said with a flirtatious smile. "I would love to get to know you more. Maybe we could hang out sometime?"

"I guess," Marcus said with an apathetic shrug. "But I'm only going to be here for a month."

"We should make the best of that, then. Hey, do you have any paper?"

Marcus reached into his locker and pulled out a notebook Chase had loaned him. He tore out the first page and handed it to Nicole. She took it and pulled a pen out her bag. After writing something Chase couldn't see on it, she handed the paper back to Marcus.

"What's this?" Marcus asked with a frown.

"It's my number, silly," Nicole said, her smile getting bigger.

"Your number for what?"

Nicole giggled. "You're funny! Call me sometime. Come on, Rachel, we're going to be late for class."

"Right," Rachel said. "Bye, Chase!" The two girls ran off, chatting excitedly with each other.

"What just happened?" Marcus asked, turning to his brothers.

"Dude, I think she has a crush on you," Chase said, trying to suppress a grin.

"She what?" Marcus asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"You're even worse with girls than Chase is!" Adam laughed. Chase glared at his brother.

"Good news, Marcus," Chase said, clapping the android on the shoulder. "You're getting closer to becoming a normal teenage boy."

* * *

Chase slid into his seat in math class. Marcus had gone to English with Adam. Bree was in this class with Chase. He looked over to see her sitting with some of her friends, laughing and smiling as usual. Chase could see the pain hiding right beneath the surface, but luckily no one else did.

Subconsciously Chase tugged at his right sleeve. Even though it was almost eighty degrees out, he had chosen to wear a long-sleeve shirt. It was hot, but it hid the scar on his hand.

The teacher entered the room and began the lesson. Chase picked up his pencil, read to scribble notes like he always did. But suddenly a sharp pain shot through his hand. In spite of himself, Chase yelped and dropped the pencil.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Davenport?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes sir," Chase mumbled. The teacher squinted, but he moved on and continued the lesson.

Chase looked around and noticed Bree staring at him. Her eyes were filled with concern. Chase tried to send her a reassuring look, but all he got in return was a suspicion-filled stare that meant they were going to be having a brother-sister talk later on.

Chase turned back around to face the front of the classroom. Gently he used his left hand to pick up his pencil. There was no pain this time, but it felt awkward and clumsy. Chase put the pencil onto the paper and attempted to write.

_Come on, I'm a bionic super genius! I can do this, _he thought to himself. Writing with his left hand proved to be quite a challenge. Unfortunately, no matter how smart his bionics made him, Chase was just not ambidextrous.

* * *

_"Whoa," Chase gasped._

_ "Would you look at this place?" Bree whispered._

_ "There are_ people_!" Adam shouted. "And I can _talk _to them! Hi people!"_

_ Some of the students shot Adam strange looks. No one could blame them. Chase was prepared for all the strange looks they would receive. For years the bionics' only way to know about the world was the television, and Chase was quickly learning how inaccurate that was._

_ "Would you guys calm down?" Leo asked._

_ "Sorry Leo," Bree apologized. "But . . . we're at _school_! I've dreamed about this day. I can't wait to make some friends! Then we can have sleepovers and text each other and talk about boys . . ." Bree trailed off when she saw the strange looks her brothers were giving her._

_ "Whatever," Chase scoffed. "I'm here to learn. Finally, a place where I fit in."_

_ "This is high school," Leo said. "No one fits in here."_

_ "I can't wait for gym class," Adam piped up. "Then I can show off my strength!"_

_ "Adam!" Bree hissed. "We can't show our you-know-whats in school."_

_ "Oh, you mean our bi–" Adam was silenced when Bree clapped a hand over his mouth._

_ "Alright, are you guys ready to experience normal life?" Leo asked._

_ "Yeah!" the three siblings cheered._

_ "Well hey, Dooley!" a voice from down the hall jeered._

_ "Oh no," Leo muttered._

_ A tall boy with a head full of brown hair ran up to them. He was wearing a Dingoes football jersey that smelled like it hadn't been washed in months. His sneer – for it could not be called a grin – was taunting and cruel._

_ "Well, who are your friends?" the boy asked._

_ "Trent, this Adam, Bree, and Chase," Leo said quietly. "Guys, this is Trent."_

_ "Is he your friend?" Adam asked._

_ Trent let out a harsh laugh. "Nope!" he shouted. "Leo's more like a client. Every week I give him something. Something called embarrassment and pain." Leo grimaced._

_ "You sound like a fantastic person," Bree said sarcastically._

_ Trent looked up at Bree. Suddenly he started to grin. "Whoa, you're actually pretty hot," he said. "We should talk sometime."_

_ Bree's arms flew to her sides and her mouth fell open. "No!" she insisted. "I'm not that shallow! Besides, you smell like you stuffed a dead squirrel into your pockets."_

_ "Hey, that's a good idea!" Adam said. Everyone wisely chose to ignore him._

_ "Fine, but if you change your mind, the Trentster is always here." Trent walked away with a leering smile on his face._

_ "Trust me Bree, you do_ not _want to be with him," Leo said. "He has a reputation around here, and I'm not just saying that because I'm his 'client.' He doesn't have a good record with the girls. He always moves on to who he thinks is the 'hottest' girl in school and doesn't care who he hurts along the way. Just avoid him."_

_ "Thanks Leo," Bree said. "I don't think that will be a problem. I can smell him coming from a mile away." She wrinkled her nose._

_ All of a sudden a shrill, loud sound echoed through the halls. Chase felt it start to drill into his skull, pounding away at his eardrums. In spite of himself, Chase let out a sharp scream. He pressed his hands to his ears and tried to block out the dreadful noise._

_ After a few seconds it stopped. Chase opened his eyes, not even realizing that he had closed them. He noticed that Adam's hand was on his shoulder and Bree looked concerned. Chase just grinned weakly at them._

_ "That bell is even worse than you said, Leo," Chase told his friend._

_ "What do you want next time, a research paper on it?" Leo shot back. "Sorry. Hopefully you can get used to it."_

_ "Hopefully," Chase muttered._

_ "Wait, does that bell mean an angel got its wings?" Adam said, looking around excitedly._

_ "No, it means that class started," Leo said. "Let's go."_

_ The three siblings and their friend all headed off to different classes. Chase found out just what he had been missing all his life. The teachers talked and talked about subjects that fascinated him. It was incredible! Why did the characters on television always hate school so much? School was great!_

_ Chase had a hard time talking with people. There was still that reservation that had been around since he had escaped Douglas. Socialization was definitely not one of his strong points. Chase honestly didn't care too much. Besides, he was scared that if he did get close to someone, he might hurt them in the end. It was a constant fear that he lived with; one that even affected his relationships with Adam, Bree, and Leo._

_ At lunch Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo all sat together. Leo instructed them to sit 'cool table adjacent.' Chase told about his riveting experiences in chemistry class. Bree related how she met a boy named Ethan and a new friend named Caitlin. Adam went on and on about the amazingness of the cafeteria's hot dogs._

_ After lunch were more classes. By the time the bell rang at three, Chase felt like he had had a very productive day. Sure, not many people had talked to him, but he was okay with that. And sure, he hadn't actually learned anything _new_, but it was still great to hear it all over again!_

_ The three siblings along with Leo met near the front of the school, ready to walk home to the apartment building where they lived. On the way home, they chatted excitedly about their first day at school._

_ "I can't believe we get to do this _every day_!" Chase said excitedly. "This is going to be great!"_

* * *

**How was it? First days of school! You all have been asking for that. I tried not to make their reactions the same as in Crush, Chop, and Burn. I wanted to do something original. But how was that girl flirting with Marcus? XD I thought that was pretty funny.**

**I have all the chapters for this story planned out now! You wanna hear the titles?**

**- Chapter 3: Justice**

**- Chapter 4: Endgame**

**- Chapter 5: Comfort**

**- Chapter 6: Family**

**- Epilogue**

**Remember that my chapter titles always have something to do with the story. Feel free to speculate about what the chapters will be about. I love hearing your guys' wild guesses!**

**Please don't forget to review! I appreciate every single one I get. Thank you for being patient with me, and hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. Please be patient with me again. I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I hope it will be sometime this week. No promises, though. Thanks for reading! See you soon!**


	4. Chapter 3: Justice

**So hi. I'm trying to decide whether to apologize or not. I know it's been over a week since I updated. But if you guys are truly fans of this story, you'll be willing to wait for it, right? Is it worth it? I've been on and off the grid around FF for the past week. If I'm not PMing/reviewing/updating, I apologize. Life has been crazy busy for me (as I'm sure some of you know). **

**The good news is that I leave for vacation soon. I'm about 95% sure I can bring my laptop, and another 95% sure that we'll have WiFi. Which (if I did the math correct) means I'm about 90.25% sure I'll be on. :) (Chase would be proud! [I used a calculator; don't tell him!]) I will have A LOT of time to work on stories/catch up on stories I'm reading. So maybe I'll be back on the radar soon.**

**Anyway, I wasn't sure how this chapter would turn out, but I think I did a good job with it! This flashback is ANOTHER one people have been asking about for a while. Yes, I finally did it! I think the flashback is longer than the actual chapter, haha. I decided to stop worrying about it.**

**So enjoy, and, oh, Razara? You'll soon found out what happened to Douglas. ;) I don't own Lab Rats.**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 3: Justice * * ***

* * *

"So, how was your first day of school, Marcus?" Chase asked as they entered their neighborhood.

"Actually, it was pretty cool," Marcus said with a grin. "Interacting with people was fun. And the learning part, too. I think I can see why you like it so much, Chase."

Chase threw a smug smirk in the direction of his siblings. They just rolled their eyes.

The five teens walked through the front door to find Donald pacing in the living room. His face lit up when the kids walked in. He ran over, shouting, "Where have you guys been?"

"School?" Chase said the word like it was a question.

"What's got you all excited, Uncle Donald?" Bree asked.

"The police called earlier."

Immediately the room was abuzz with every kid trying to explain away some kind of misdeed they thought they were in trouble for. Frantic confessions and finger-pointing were everywhere.

"Stop, stop!" Donald shouted, waving his hands around. Everything went quiet. "Wait, Leo, what were you saying about my guitar?"

Leo quickly bit his lip and feigned a smile. "We'll talk about it later, Big D," he said, his voice strained.

Donald raised an eyebrow in his step-son's direction, but nonetheless he continued on. "Anyway, the police called, and they had some news about Douglas."

Chase's heart jumped in his chest. Donald seemed excited, so maybe – just maybe – the news was good. Could he dare to hope?

"They caught him," Donald finished dramatically.

Smiles quickly slid across every face. Hearts were lightened and spirits merry. It was over. It was really, truly over.

"How?" Adam prodded.

"Apparently the FBI caught him while he was selling some illegal weapons," Donald said with a shrug. "I don't know all the details. All I know is that he's locked up now, and they will make absolutely sure that he won't be getting out this time."

"We're free," Bree murmured.

"No more Douglas," Marcus agreed.

For several minutes they all remained there, trying to work through what that meant for them. No more looking over their shoulders. No more fretting about if and when Douglas would show up again.

It was over. That one phrase summed it up perfectly. It was finally over.

Eventually Marcus headed up to his room, claiming he was fatigued from the day at school. Leo went with Donald down to the lab. Tasha apparently had gone shopping earlier that afternoon. That left Adam, Bree, and Chase alone in the living room. They sat on the couch and stayed silent for a few more minutes. Adam was in the middle with Bree and Chase on either side of him.

"I can't believe they really got him," Chase finally said.

"Do you think they really did?" Bree asked.

"Of course, Bree," Adam assured her. "Why would Uncle D lie about something like that?"

"I'm not saying he's lying," Bree said, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I'm just scared that history will repeat itself. Will Douglas break out of jail again?"

"Now that he's done it once, they'll be much more careful," Chase reminded her.

"I know," Bree sighed. "But . . . but it's Douglas! They thought they had him before, but they didn't."

"Bree, can't you just relax?" Adam asked. "Even if it's only temporary, we can enjoy it now."

"Adam's right," Chase agreed. Then he furrowed his brow and frowned a bit. "And there's something I'll never say again."

Adam sent his brother a glare. Chase just responded by flashing a teasing grin.

"I guess so," Bree said, a smile slowly coming across her face. "That one year without Douglas was amazing, so I'm excited to have that again. We're free."

That word sounded beautiful in Chase's ears. _Free_. A word that meant having rights. A word that meant not being held captive. A word that meant personal liberty; and for Chase it was certainly was personal.

No more beatings, overworking, threats, or impossible training. No more pain or guilt or sorrow or agony. No more anger or hatred or fear.

This second round of freedom was even sweeter than the first. It felt more satisfying, somehow. Perhaps it was because of the last year the siblings had spent together. Being with each other again strengthened their bond. With his brother and sister in his sights, Chase felt furiously protective of them. He knew they felt the same way about him.

"So life without Douglas," Bree said suddenly. "What does that look like?"

"This past year," Chase pointed out.

"But there were some times this year when life wasn't great, even without Douglas," Adam piped up. "Like when we had 'one of those days.'"

"Do you think those will still happen?" Bree asked tentatively.

"Probably," Chase said reluctantly. "I don't think it will be that easy to get over. But I know we can as long as we have each other." Chase smiled at his siblings.

"Aw," Bree said. "That's so cheesy."

Chase chuckled. "Cheesy or not, it's true."

"Great, now I want cheese," Adam complained. Then he looked left and right, from Bree to Chase. "Eh, you guys come first. Let's just get the awkward family hugging stuff over with."

Adam reached his arms over his siblings' shoulders. They pulled close. Chase felt comfort wash over him. He would always be safe with his siblings; he was sure of that. Together again; together forever. Chase loved them.

* * *

_Donald was everywhere at once. One second he was fixing his hair in the mirror, another he was straightening his tie. All the while he was muttering to himself. It was a very amusing show._

_ Chase himself was a bit uncomfortable in his tuxedo, but he wasn't about to complain. This was a very special day, and he could suffer it for a few hours. Subconsciously he pushed up his sleeves, trying to relive himself of the suffocating heat._

_ "Do I look okay?" Donald asked, turning to face the three teenage boys sitting on the couch._

_ "For the last time, you look fine," Leo assured him._

_ "Yeah, aren't you always the one bragging about how 'handsome' you are?" Adam added._

_ Donald flashed a cocky smile. "Well, yes." Then he blushed a bit. "But today is . . . is different. I have to look _perfect_."_

_ "Big D, my mom loves you just the way you are," Leo said. "Although smooth out the winkles on the tux; that'll bug her."_

_ Donald turned to mirror and began frantically patting his suit. The boys chuckled together quietly._

_ "What do you think, Chase?" Donald asked, turning back._

_ "I'm no expert, but I think you look alright," Chase said. "Stop worrying."_

_ "Thank you. Everything has to go perfect tonight. Don't mess anything up!"_

_ "Hey, when have we ever messed anything up?" Leo said defensively._

_ "Hmm, let's see," Donald said, pretending to look thoughtful. "Would you like the list alphabetically or in chronological order?"_

_ The boys shrugged and plastered various looks of guilt on their faces. It was true, they messed things up a lot. And Chase wasn't one to point fingers, but . . . it was mostly Leo!_

_ "Uncle D, just relax!" Adam said, standing up and grabbing a glass of water. He handed it to his uncle._

_ "Thank you, Adam," he said, accepting the water gratefully. "A wedding is a huge day. I know Tasha wants it to be–"_

_ "Perfect, we get it!" the boys said in unison._

_ Donald smiled faintly and raised the glass of water to his lips. All of a sudden Adam clapped him on the back, and Donald jumped. Some of the water splashed out of the glass and down his front._

_ "Adam!" Donald shrieked after he finished coughing._

_ Adam looked confused for a moment, then he shrugged and said, "Mazel tov?"_

_ Donald just glared at him. He scrambled for some towels. Chase and Leo leapt up and began to help him. They dried off the water, but a dark trail could still be seen on the fabric._

_ "Just great," Donald muttered._

_ "It will dry," Chase reassured him. "Let's just finish you up. The ceremony is in an hour."_

_ The next hour was filled with hurried preparation and last minute details being added. The wedding was going to take place in Mission Creek Community Church. They had a large sanctuary that would be just right for the event._

_ The guests – there weren't many since Tasha and Donald wanted a small wedding – showed up and started filling in the seats. Chase, Adam, and Leo went to their positions. Chase caught sight of Bree and waved at her. She smiled and waved back._

_ Bree's bridesmaid dress was a beautiful shade of light blue. A pink flower sat elegantly on her shoulder. The sleeveless dress fell just below her knees. Tasha and Bree had picked out the dresses earlier that week. Chase could see why his sister had been so excited about them._

_ The bridesmaids – Bree and a few of Tasha's best friends – stood on one side of the alter. Chase, Adam, and Leo stood off to the other. The pastor stood between them. Donald came up and stood in his designated spot. He fiddled with his fingers and grinned nervously._

_ The music began to play and everyone stood. Slowly the heavy oak doors at the end of the aisle swung open. Tasha stood there. Her spotless white wedding dress flowed around her, sweeping her up in waves of fabric. A veil covered the front of her face, but it couldn't cover her beaming smile._

_ Tasha's father was beside her. He clasped her arm and together they began to walk down the aisle. Chase could almost feel the nervousness leave Donald. The groom now wore a silly grin characteristic of those in love._

_ The bride reached the alter. Slowly her father handed her over to Donald, whispering something Chase didn't quite hear. Probably something about taking care of his daughter._

_ The pastor began his little speech, emphasizing the love of a husband and a wife. He droned on while Donald and Tasha held hands and stared lovingly into each other's eyes._

_ The exchange of vows was very sweet. Chase saw Bree dabbing her eyes with a tissue, as were many other people in the room. No one was in doubt that Tasha and Donald were truly in love. It was a beautiful sight._

_ Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. __"Donald Davenport, do you take Tasha Dooley to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live? "_

_"I do," Donald said softly_

_"Tasha Dooley, do you take Donald Davenport to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"_

_"I do," Tasha replied._

_ "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You many now kiss the bride."_

_ Donald lifted Tasha's veil slowly. Then he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. Clapping erupted throughout the room. For once in their life, the teenagers didn't gag. _

_ Later that night, as everyone was celebrating, the three bionics and their new cousin stood off to the side. Donald and Tasha had already danced and cut their wedding cake together._

_ "Well, would you look at that?" Leo said. "Tonight went off without a hitch. See, things don't _always _go wrong when I'm around!"_

_ Suddenly there was a loud crash, followed by frantic crying. On the other side of the room, there was a little girl sitting flat on her butt, a white tablecloth on the ground beside her and a shattered glass bowl not far away. Red punch stained the floor. People scrambled to clean up the mess._

_ "Hey, at least it wasn't me this time!" Leo insisted._

_ "No, but you were in the room," Bree said._

_ "We'll still blame you," Adam added._

_ Leo's face paled. "L-Do out!" he shouted, running off to who-knows-where. The three bionics simply laughed and exchanged sly looks._

* * *

**Perhaps not the best ending, but oh well. Okay, so I haven't been to a wedding in a long time (as in, over ten years), so I don't really remember how it goes. I got the vows off of some wedding website. :P If I messed anything up, I'm sorry. But wasn't it sweet? I had fun writing that. Dasha is one of my all-time favorite ships. :3**

**Yay, no more Douglas! How do you feel about that? Happy? Sad? Confused? Some other adjective I can't think of right now? Or maybe you don't think he's really gone? Will something happen? How was he even caught? Why am I asking so many questions?**

**And this story draws even closer to a close. Three more chapters and an epilogue. *sobs***

**So, let me know what you thought of the chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon; maybe even by the end of the week! But no promises. I will have a lot of time to write, though. And again, if I have not been PMing you/reviewing your stories, I'm sorry. I will get on that as soon as I can. See you all soon!**


	5. Chapter 4: Endgame

**Well, well, well . . . would you look at that! I AM updating in the same week! Haha! :D So, I'm on vacation, which means A LOT more time to write. We got to our room yesterday and the first thing I did was get on my laptop and write. I got over two thousand words down in less than three hours. Thus this chapter. I might just finish this story before I even get home next Friday! XD**

**This chapter is a bit sad, so prepare yourselves. It's been a long time in coming. I know you didn't want it to happen but frankly, it had to. I'm sorry. Grab the tissues, folks (though you probably won't REALLY need them until the next chapter). Also: WARNING! This chapter contains more abuse in the flashback.**

**So enjoy . . . or cry. I don't own Pop Tarts . . . or Lab Rats! (I do own Nicole.)**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 4: Endgame * * ***

* * *

Chase reached out his right hand and picked up the ball. Immediately pain spread through his fingertips and he winced. It was amazing how such a small, menial task could become so incredibly difficult.

Again Chase picked up the green ball no bigger than a wadded up sock. Again the pain made him hiss. Again he dropped it, his hand unable to hold the weight of a nearly weightless object.

Chase growled to himself, angry that he couldn't do such a simple thing. The nerves in his hand refused to cooperate. Chase had hoped that he could gradually build the strength back up, but it had been nearly a month with next to no progress.

The bionic flexed his fingers and sighed. He was done for the day. He wasn't giving up – not yet. But his patience was wearing thin. With his left hand he threw the ball across the room, watching with satisfaction as it bounced off the wall and across the floor a few times before stopping in front of the bookcase.

"If I still had my super-strength, I could've sent it right through the wall," Chase murmured to himself. He sighed again. There was no point in moping about it now. Those bionics were gone, as was the use of his right hand. The only thing left to do was to accept.

Chase left the room and headed down the stairs. It was a school day today. He could already hear the clamor of plates as the rest of the family got breakfast. Chase smiled at something as simple as that; getting breakfast made them normal. Chase couldn't remember a single time when he had 'breakfast' as a child. It was always just food; at the most random times, too.

As Chase reached the bottom of the stairs, his family came into full view. Bree and Leo were fighting over something – it looked like the last cinnamon pop tart. Adam was wolfing down a bowl of sugary cereal. Donald was sipping his coffee and Tasha was trying to referee the fight between her son and her niece. Marcus sat at the table, slowly taking bites from a piece of toast.

Chase slid in beside Marcus. "So looks like I've missed a good fight, huh?"

"You have no idea," Marcus replied with a smirk. "Bree tried to use her speed to grab it, but Leo has been doing everything he can to get it back. Tasha's yelling at both of them."

"Hey, you guys!" Chase shouted. "Why don't you make this problem go away completely and give _me _the pop tart?"

"Shut up, Chase!" Bree and Leo yelled in unison before going back to their arguing.

Marcus chuckled. "Yeah, nice try."

"Eh, it was worth a shot. Toast actually sounds pretty good to me, too."

Chase got up and walked into the 'danger zone' between the quibbling cousins. The youngest bionic side-stepped them and got a slice of bread before putting it into the toaster. Suddenly there was a small cracking sound, and a few people moaned. The arguing suddenly stopped.

The final pop tart had not met its end in any teenage mouth. Instead it was shattered into pieces on the ground. Chase smiled in amusement.

"Five second rule!" Leo shouted. He grabbed a paper plate and started scooping the broken pop tart bits onto it.

"Gross! You can have it," Bree said, wrinkling her nose. "I'll just have a frozen waffle." She walked over to the freezer to get said breakfast food.

"Can I have some, buddy?" Adam asked, leaning over the counter.

Leo sent him a death glare. "My pop tart," he said in a gravelly voice.

Chase left the scene of the pop tart's untimely demise and sat next to his android brother. They sat in silence for a few moments. Adam, Bree, and Leo had started talking about their teachers at school. Donald and Tasha were discussing the errands they needed to get done. But Marcus and Chase were quiet.

Marcus looked tired. Dead tired. That wasn't shocking. Donald had predicted it. As Marcus got closer and closer to his inevitable end, he would slowly lose energy. There were some days when Marcus had thought he wouldn't be strong enough to go to school. But he always pushed through.

As the month went on, Marcus had become, well, a bit less whiny. He seemed to gain a new appreciation for life, though he hadn't exactly said that out loud. He was meeting people and doing things, and he talked less and less about how much time he had left.

That time was running short. It had been almost four weeks since they had gotten away from Douglas. Everyone knew Marcus didn't have a lot of time left. No one said anything to him.

"So," Donald said in a loud voice that meant he was making an announcement. Everyone turned to look at him. "I got a call from Officer Parkinson last night. You know, one of the officers guarding Douglas? He's a good friend of mine. Anyway, he said we were welcome to visit Douglas if we wanted to."

The answer was purely negative. Every single person in the room answered with some kind of response that meant 'no'. Some actually shouted the exclamation. Leo gave his response with a thumbs-down. Everyone had sour expressions.

"If I see Douglas again, I won't miss him this time," Marcus said in a chilly voice. "And in case I wasn't clear enough, I'm going to kill him!"

"Yeah, Uncle D, no one wants to see him again," Adam agreed.

"Donald, sweetie, I don't think it's a good idea," Tasha said, rubbing her husband's shoulder.

"Nope, no, no way!" Bree said.

"He's bad news, Big D," Leo chimed in.

"Chase?" Donald asked. "You haven't said anything yet. What do you think?"

Chase sighed. "Absolutely not," he said curtly. "If I never see him again, it'll be too soon." Chase still hadn't gotten around to forgiving his father. He didn't think he ever would.

"Okay," Donald said. "That's what I figured. And that's what I was hoping you would say. But I thought I would let you guys know just in case."

Everyone was in agreement. They would not go see Douglas. He could rot in that jail cell for eternity for all they cared. Not a single member of the Davenport family wanted to see his face again.

Suddenly Marcus's phone buzzed – Donald had decided it would be alright to let the android have a cell phone – and he pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled to himself.

"Who is it?" Chase asked curiously.

"Nicole," Marcus said. "You know, today would be a terribly inconvenient day to die. Nicole and I are going on a date tonight." Marcus grinned proudly.

"That should be a reality TV show," Adam piped up, turning to face his brothers. "'My Boyfriend's an Android!' Catch it Mondays at nine!" Adam winked at them.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "You guys are just jealous!"

"Maybe a little," Chase grumbled to himself. But honestly, he was happy for Marcus. The android and Nicole had been getting close over the past month. Marcus really liked being around her.

"You guys should start heading to school soon," Donald pointed out.

"We've got a few minutes, Big D," Leo assured him.

"I'll go get my stuff together," Marcus said. "I might lie down for a few minutes, too. I'm still feeling a bit tired."

"You can just crash on the couch," Chase pointed out.

"Yeah, but my bed is comfortable." Marcus shrugged. "Plus I gotta go upstairs and get my stuff together. See you in a few!"

"Bye," the rest of the family called after him.

Everyone finished their breakfast and started gathering things for school. Backpacks were rounded up and lunches were packed. Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo stood in the living room, ready to go.

"Where's Marcus?" Bree complained.

"Marcus!" Leo shouted up their stairs.

"He's going to make us late!" Adam whined. "Wait, that might be a good thing. Take your time, Marcus!"

"No, Ethan and I are sitting together for algebra in first period," Bree said. "We_ cannot _be late. _Marcus_!"

"I'll go get him," Chase said.

He hurried up the stairs and headed straight for Marcus's bedroom. The door was ajar. Chase knocked as he pushed the door open.

"Hey, Marcus, we need to get . . ." Chase trailed off as the door opened all the way and revealed the sight in Marcus's room.

Honestly, Chase didn't know what to feel in that moment. He leaned on the doorway and sucked in his breath. A plethora of emotions swam through his mind.

"Terribly inconvenient," Chase murmured.

Marcus lay on his bed, his normally brown eyes a light grey. He was completely still on his back as he stared blankly at the ceiling. A month had passed. Marcus Davenport was gone.

* * *

_Chase lay on his stomach, breathing as quietly as he possibly could. The cold floor pressed into his face. He could feel the ridges rub against his cheeks as he looked down from his position the walkway to the room below him. His super-hearing was activated, ready for anything. Well, almost anything._

_ "What are you _doing_?"_

_ Chase yelped, automatically slapping his hands onto his ears and deactivating his super-senses. He groaned as he turned to face Marcus. The inquisitive android stared at him with one eyebrow raised._

_ "What do you want?" the six year old bionic asked._

_ "To know what you're doing," Marcus said simply._

_ "Fine, Adam and Bree and I are having a prank war. Happy?"_

_ "Not really."_

_ "Well, I don't care, actually. How did you get up here without me hearing you?"_

_ "Super speed, I guess."_

_ "Right."_

_ For a few seconds everything was quiet. The two boys sat there in awkward silence. "If you don't mind, this is kind of a sibling thing," Chase said finally. "Could you get out?"_

_ "If I'm not your sibling, what am I?" the android asked as he folded his arms across his chest._

_ "The annoying robot my father built and I have to put up with every single day of my life," Chase said with a smirk. Marcus just frowned. "But seriously, I need to pay attention," Chase continued. He motioned to a nearby bucket full of water balloons. "I'm going to throw these at whoever walks through the lab doors. Adam or Bree; whoever comes first."_

_ "Hmm, I actually might want to see this," Marcus said, sitting down beside his brother._

_ "Fine, but keep hidden." Chase pressed firmly on Marcus's head as if expecting him to turn into a pancake._

_ "Hey!" Marcus snapped, brushing away Chase's hand. "Watch the hair!"_

_ The two boys lay flat on their stomachs. Whoever walked into the lab next would be pelted with water balloons. After a few minutes, Chase heard someone begin to enter._

_ As soon as the figure walked into the room, Marcus and Chase started screaming and throwing water balloons at their target. The victim began to shout protests, but Chase quickly noticed the protests turning into angry threats. Both Chase and Marcus stopped, frozen with horror, when they realized exactly who it was they were pranking._

It was Douglas.

_He had a very terrified Adam and Bree by the scruff of their necks. A few feathers were on his shoulders and his hair looked a bit messier than normal. His clothes were now all wet. Douglas's face held only rage._

I'm dead,_ Chase thought, mentally gulping. _I am literally dead.

_"You two, down here, now!" Douglas snapped ferociously. Marcus and Chase obeyed with hesitation. Chase dreaded every step that brought him closer to his father._

_ "I-I thought you weren't getting back until tomorrow," Chase stuttered._

_ "The meeting ended early," Douglas said curtly. "What are you guys doing?"_

_ "Just having a bit of fun," Bree murmured. She gasped as Douglas's grip tightened around her throat. Tears started to leak out of Adam's eyes as he received the same punishment._

_ "This kind of behavior is unacceptable," Douglas said in a dangerously low voice._

_ "It was just a bit of pranking . . ." Chase tried to protest. He trailed off as he saw a tiny bit of blood drip down his sister's neck._

_ "Marcus, you stay here," Douglas growled. "Chase, come with me."_

_ Chase obeyed. Douglas led him and the two oldest out the room. They all headed down the hall silently. When they got to Adam's room, Douglas shoved him into it and locked the door. He did the same with Bree when they got to her bedroom._

_ When Douglas and Chase reached the latter's room, the bionic started walking in wordlessly. Suddenly a sharp force hit him in the back of the head and knocked him to the ground. Black dots swarmed in front of his eyes._

_ "You're going to regret that!" Douglas shouted at him._

_ "What did we do wrong?" Chase yelled. He lay on his stomach and refused to face his father. Tears stung the back of his eyes._

_ Douglas was silent. Chase heard the footsteps getting closer. He heard the rustle of fabric as his father knelt beside him. Chase's heart raced at a dangerously fast pace._

_ "You rebelled," he hissed in Chase's ear._

_ A sharp pain spread through Chase's side as Douglas's hard boot made contact with his body. This procedure was repeated a few times. Chase mentally retreated, trying to block out the constant and repetitive pain._

_ By the time it was over, Chase could barely breathe. He was vaguely aware of the footsteps that exited the room; of the click of the lock. Blood was in his mouth and covering his body. His breathing was harsh and irregular._

_ He still didn't get it. They were playing pranks! What was so wrong about that? Did Douglas think Chase _meant _to hit him? Perhaps that was it._

_ Sweat, blood, and tears mingled together in an unpleasant concoction. Chase hoped and prayed that Douglas would not return to his siblings' rooms and 'punish' them as well. But knowing his father, it was highly possible. Chase would never wish this kind of pain on anyone else._

_ Chase could not continue hold himself together. Pain was eating him alive. He allowed a few more tears to slip down his cheeks before falling into unconsciousness._

* * *

**So I repeat, are you happy Douglas is gone? And yes, I know a few of you wanted them to visit him, but that's not part of my plan. As for the whole 'is-Douglas-**_**really**_**-gone' situation . . . ha, I love messing around with you guys! I have something very special planned very soon. You'll just have to wait and see.**

**Yes, Marcus has passed on. I am so sorry. There wasn't really a way around it. He really should've died a long time ago. But man, this death was quite different than his first one in IAW, no?**

**Anyone recognize the air day/time for 'My Boyfriend's an Android'? I had a **_**very **_**specific show in mind when writing that. ('Least, that's what time it airs where I live. Friends from the U.S.?) I **_**hope **_**you guys know. And if you have trouble figuring it out because that's **_**not **_**what time/day it airs where you are . . . check the archive you're in. :3**

**And? Thoughts? Are you sad that Marcus is gone? Do you want to beat Douglas to a pulp with a baseball bat? Do you want to toss a water balloon at your little brother (or other annoying family member)?**

**I've got a lot of time to write. My internet is not the greatest here, but it's adequate. I'm back. :3 Catch you in a few days, hopefully!**


	6. Chapter 5: Comfort

**Wooo, I'm on a roll! It's been, what, two days since I updated? Is that better than waiting over a week? XD**

**Yes, the nine o'clock air time on Mondays is Lab Rats. That's what time/day it airs where I live (and I think in most of the U.S.). Congrats to RissA15, Guest, j. liz. 8, and PurpleNicole531 for getting it. Yay!**

**So apparently I made some of you cry last chapter. Excellent. Get out the tissues, because this is the slightly more emotional farewell to Marcus. And if you don't think it's emotional enough . . . you try writing a funeral for a robot and tell me how it goes! It is **_**hard**_**!**

**Second-to-last chapter. Wow. The next chapter is also mostly done. The I AM Trilogy may be over before the week is out. I do not own Lab Rats or The Lion King. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 5: Comfort * * ***

* * *

"This is weird," Bree mumbled.

"Shh," Chase hissed at her. They had a silent argument with their eyes; the kind only siblings could have. Finally Chase won and Bree glared at him.

All six members of the Davenport family stood on the hillside in one of the far corners of the Davenport estate. Small raindrops fell from the sky as nature matched the solemn mood. Birds chirped and leaves rustled in the wind.

In front of them all sat a little stone sticking up out of the ground. It read simply, 'Marcus Davenport: 1998 – 2014.' A stark, permanent reminder of the loss.

"Should we say something?" Tasha whispered. "That's usually how it goes."

"This whole thing is very untraditional," Donald reminded her.

"On the bright side," Adam said, "I can cross 'bury a robot' off my bucket list!" No one was in the mood to question why Adam even had that on his bucket list in the first place.

"Well I don't even miss him," Leo proclaimed. His voice seemed like booming thunder after the way the rest of the family had been whispering. But afterwards Leo mumbled in a barely audible voice, "Much."

"I didn't know him for a long time," Tasha added, "and he wasn't always the sweetest boy. He refused to wash the dishes more than a few times . . ." Tasha trailed off and shook her head. "But he could be helpful sometimes. I still don't understand all the technical mumbo-jumbo about him; all I know is that he was another boy for me to take care of. And I didn't mind one bit."

"Most of what I knew about Marcus came from Chase complaining to me about him," Donald said, eyeing his youngest nephew. Chase pursed his lips. "As far as I knew, Marcus was Douglas's right-hand man. That was enough to make me hate him.

"But I think he did change. Douglas hurt him just like he hurt the rest of us. Marcus truly was a broken android. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to fix him. But he's moved on to a better place now."

Adam nodded slowly. Then he sucked in his breath and said, "He'll always be that dumb, overdramatic robot to me." Chase elbowed his brother. "Ow! Okay, but, he was _kinda _a brother too."

Everyone turned to look at Bree. "My turn?" she sighed. "Fine. I never liked Marcus. Nobody here did. He always called me 'princess' or 'cupcake' and . . . ooh, that got on my nerves." Bree's lip twisted up and her fists clenched for a second before her features relaxed.

"He and I had some interesting talks this past month," she continued. "And I never really told anyone about them. Talks about the things Douglas did to us . . . I never realized how similar he and I were. We were both waiting for the right moment; waiting for something to happen. I think he was decisive. I can respect that.

"I might not miss him exactly, but I guess will still be my brother, huh? He had his moments. That's honestly all I can say about him."

"I guess I'm next," Chase said quietly. "Well . . . I probably got closer to Marcus than anybody. I spent more time with him and trained with him a lot more. I was the one who killed him the first time around and I brought him back to life.

"Of course I hated him growing up. Like Bree said, we all did. But there were times – even if they weren't often – where I felt sorry for him. After all, he was kind of the outcast. Adam, Bree, and I excluded him from a lot of our games and activities."

"So you're blaming this on us, now?" Bree said harshly.

"No, no," Chase said, waving his hands in the air. "I'm just saying that maybe we didn't realize the way he felt. Which is a whole other aspect of Marcus. He could _feel_, somehow. Even if he was just a robot. In a way, he had emotions."

"They were programs, Chase," Donald tried to say.

"Would you all quit interrupting me?" Chase growled. He sighed and continued, "Marcus truly became a brother to me this month. And don't forget, he helped me find you. I went to him as a last resort, but he wound up being a friend to me. That's something I never would have guessed."

For several minutes the members of the Davenport family stood in silence. Not awkward silence; more like a moment of silence. It was just them and their thoughts as the remembered Marcus.

An android.

A brother.

A friend.

Suddenly Adam began to shuffle his feet. The wet grass rubbed against the rubber on his shoes and caused a slight squeaking noise. He chuckled to himself. Then he broke the silence and said, "I could really go for some hot chocolate right now."

"Let's head back to the house and I'll make some for you, sweetie," Tasha suggested.

Tasha and Adam turned to head back. Bree and Leo went after them. Donald turned to follow. Chase hung back for just a few seconds.

"Are you coming, Chase?" Donald asked.

"Um, yeah," Chase said. He got one more good look at the grave before turning to join his uncle. By this time the rest of the family was far ahead of them. Chase didn't mind. He thought it would be nice to have more time to talk with Donald.

"I know they were programs," Chase said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"The 'emotions.' I know it was programmed into him. Still, Douglas surely would've programmed him with crueler feelings. How he ever wound up with empathy or kindness is beyond me."

"Maybe you did something when you brought him back."

"Maybe."

"I think he appreciated that, you know."

"Appreciated what?"

"The fact that you brought him back."

"I had to."

"Yes, but you didn't ever betray him or attempt to get rid of him. I had a few talks with him too. He was very happy that you were willing to give him a second chance at life."

"Too bad we couldn't make his life longer."

"He made the best of it in the time he had."

"Why do things only get torn away from you when you begin to get attached to them? I would've been just fine with Marcus dying when we were kids, but _no_, the universe just _had _to wait until I had actually accepted him as brother."

"Isn't that always the way it works?"

"For me it sure does."

By this time Chase and Donald had reached the house. They entered the front door and saw Tasha and Bree preparing hot chocolate in the kitchen. Leo and Adam were flipping through a DVD case.

"Mom thought it might be nice to do a family movie night," Leo told the newcomers. "She thought it might take our minds off of . . . everything else."

Donald and Chase shrugged and sat down on the couch. Adam and Leo finally agreed on _The Lion King_. Tasha and Bree brought the mugs of hot chocolate over. Everyone squished together on the couch as the movie began playing.

The rain started falling harder outside. Chase could hear it pounding on the windows, desperate to get to the heat inside the mansion. But it couldn't get in. The room was dark and the only light came from the TV, but nobody wanted to get up and turn on a light.

Chase had somehow managed to get lodged between Adam and Bree – not that he minded. He found it rather funny. As he looked to the left and the right, he realized how much his older siblings cared for him. With their body language they expressed their desire to protect him. Chase would always be their baby brother.

The warm cup of hot chocolate sat safely in Chase's hands. The warmth spread through his fingertips and to the rest of his body. His mug was mostly supported with his left hand, of course. Every now and then it would start to slip from his grasp, but Bree always reached out to help straighten it.

Donald winced when Scar betrayed his brother. Adam cried when Mufasa died. Everyone joined in to sing _Hakuna Matata. _Bree used her vocal manipulation to mimic the hyenas' laughing. They all cheered when Simba won against Scar and the hyenas and he took his rightful place as king.

Tasha had been right. The movie took their minds off of everything else. Well, mostly. Every now and then one person would look at the only empty spot on the couch. The spot where the final member – the newest member – was supposed to be sitting.

* * *

_Screams emitted from the television. Chase ducked his head and whimpered slightly. The figures next to him didn't notice. Their eyes were glued to the screen in front of them._

Monster Mayhem 2 _wasn't Chase's first choice for a movie. Bree and Adam, however, seemed to be enjoying it. They were screaming and cheering and laughing and booing at the appropriate moments._

_ "C-Can we watch something else?" Chase said quietly, half-hoping his siblings wouldn't hear him._

_ "Aw, you're such a wimp, Chase," Adam said in a teasing voice. "It's just a movie."_

_ "Yeah, you're a boy," Bree added. "Shouldn't you like all the zombies and vampires and giant mutant spiders?"_

_ "Well, you're a girl and you watch it!" Chase shot back._

_ "Yeah, but that's because Naomi has the cutest hairstyles," Bree said. "Besides, girls can like monster stuff. What's wrong with that?"_

_ "Nothing," Chase mumbled. "But if girls can watch anything they want, I don't see why I'm obligated to–"_

_ There was a loud explosion on the screen that silenced the seven year old. He closed his eyes at the following gore and decided to go for a more technical approach._

_ "Don't you think this movie is just a bit too old for us?" the youngest protested._

_ "Aw, is little Chasey-wasey scared?" Adam said._

_ "I am not!"_

_ "Are to!"_

_ "Am not!_

_ "Are to!"_

_ "Am–"_

_ Suddenly a large spider jumped out from behind a building onscreen and attacked the main human characters. Chase screamed and comically jumped behind the couch. He could hear his siblings laughing at him and he scowled._

_ Later that night Chase was alone in his room. He stood in his capsule and clutched his faded brown blanket to his chest. Every creak, every crack, and every whistle made him jump. The shadows seemed too long. Chase could see the vicious fangs of the mutant spiders as they came closer, closer, closer . . ._

_ The youngest bionic unwittingly let out a high-pitched shriek. He could hear his heart hammering away in his ears. His breathing was rapid._

_ "Stop it, Chase," he muttered to himself. "There's nothing to be scared of. It was just a movie. It wasn't real. The world's largest spider – a goliath bird-eating spider – was only eleven inches long . . . or twenty-eight centimeters. That's the size of a dinner plate, _not _a semi-truck. You're just fine."_

_ But even Chase's own scientific jargon couldn't make him feel better. He was completely on edge and there was no way he was calming down enough to sleep. There was only one thing he could do._

No, he'll call me a wimp again, _Chase thought to himself. _But he's your brother! He'll understand! No he won't! Didn't you hear the mean things he said earlier? But he was only teasing! Go! Stay! You won't be able to sleep! He won't let you sleep!

_In the end, Chase's terrified side won out. Deep down the child had a desperate desire to be loved and cared for. Perhaps it was because he didn't receive much love from his father._

_ Chase wanted to be held by someone, to hear another human's heartbeat. He wanted to make a connection with someone else. That someone else at the moment was his brother. He wanted warm arms to run into. Those arms would be Adam's._

_ Before he knew it, Chase found himself down the hall and standing in front of his brother's door. He shuffled his feet. Maybe he shouldn't have come._

No, this is what you need to do.

_Slowly Chase pushed the door open. His eight year old brother was sleeping in the capsule in the corner. Chase remembered doing something similar to this a few years ago when he had a nightmare about the Triton App._

_ "A-Adam?" Chase stuttered. He walked closer. "Adam?"_

_ The older boy opened his eyes partially. "Wah?" he mumbled in a half-awake manner. He yawned and blinked a few times. "Chase?"_

_ "Hi," was all Chase could think to say._

_ "What are you doing here?"_

_ "I . . . um . . . well . . . it . . . er . . ."_

_ "Spit it out, Chasey!" Then Adam's eyes softened. He stepped out of his capsule and walked towards his younger brother. "You're scared, aren't you?" Chase nodded. "Of what?"_

_ "O-Of the spiders!" Chase said suddenly. Tears stung the back of his eyes as he went on. "That movie was _too _scary, Adam, and I don't know if it was okay for you and Bree, but I didn't like it! All the shadows make me think the spiders are after me . . . or maybe the zombies. They like brains, and I've got a lot of them!" Chase's lip was quivering as he desperately tried to keep himself from crying._

_ "Oh, Chasey," Adam said softly. He pulled Chase into a hug. Chase melted into his brothers arms, adoring the gentle way his older brother caressed him. It felt so good to be loved. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have turned it off."_

_ "But you called me a wimp!"_

_ "I was just joking around. I didn't realize it scared you that badly. I'm so sorry, Chasey!"_

_ The sound of a door opening interrupted the brothers. They turned to see Bree standing there. She had her arms wrapped around herself._

_ "Oh, so I'm not the only one who was scared?" she mumbled._

_ "You too?" Chase asked._

_ Bree nodded. "It was a mistake to watch that. I keep thinking there's something behind me. It's not fun. Um . . . c-can I join you?"_

_ "Of course," Adam said, motioning her over. "We'll never watch that movie again, agreed?"_

_ "Agreed," Chase and Bree said simultaneously. _

_ They all embraced each other on the floor of Adam's room. How long they stayed like that, nobody knew. Chase estimated it must have been at least over forty-five minutes. Just the three kids in silence, enjoying each other's presence._

_ Finally Chase sat up, ready to get in a more comfortable position for sleep, preferably in a capsule. He noticed the way his sister's head was drooping and he smiled softly._

_ "Maybe we should get back to our capsules, huh, Adam?" Chase suggested._

_ "Sure," Adam agreed, "if you're feeling better."_

_ "I am. But Bree's asleep. What do we do with her?"_

_ "Well, we could hire a bunch of monkeys to drag her back to her room."_

_ "Adam!"_

_ "Fine, I'll do it myself."_

_ Adam stood up and gently picked up Bree in his arms. She wiggled slightly, but she didn't wake up. Instead the female bionic just gripped Adam tighter and buried her head in his shoulder._

_ They got Bree back to her room and placed her into her capsule. Adam walked with Chase back to the youngest bionic's room. "You're fine now, right?" the oldest said. "You're not lying to me?"_

_ "No, I feel better now," Chase assured him. "Thank you, Adam."_

_ Chase walked back into his room while Adam went to his own. The bionic stepped into his capsule and shut the door. He rubbed his blanket against his face and glanced around._

_ "Sorry, shadows," he mumbled right before he fell asleep. "But my brother is stronger than you. He's the strongest person in the world! And he loves me. His love is strong too. You can't get me now. My siblings will protect me. They always will."_

* * *

**Aw, some sweet brotherly moments for you. Isn't sibling fluff great? If you liked that, just wait until the next chapter. But Marcus is finally gone. Sorry about that. He was kinda doomed from the start.**

**And by the way, Donald's line, "Marcus truly was a broken android," was a reference to AllAmericanSlurp's story "Marcus: Broken Android." You've all read it, right? If you haven't, you are really missing out.**

**I feel the need to say this somewhere, so I'll say it here. The place where I'm staying on vacation doesn't have Disney XD in their channel list. What does that mean? I can't watch "Armed and Dangerous" when it airs tomorrow. I have to wait until Saturday when I get back home. I know, I know, poor me. My dad MIGHT be able to set something up so I can watch it, but I'm not sure. Why do I say this? *growling voice* Do NOT spoil the episode for me. I will make you sorry. I HATE spoilers (for TV shows! Don't take that the wrong way, Slurp!). So don't review one of my stories saying, "Oh, what did you think of blah blah blah?" Because I might not have seen blah blah blah yet. *regular voice* Thanks for your time! And again, I MIGHT be able to watch it. We'll see.**

**So . . . what did you think of this chapter? No mentions of Douglas, huh? Will he return in the next chapter? Maybe? Will there be some heart-to-heart talks in the next chapter? Maybe? Just maybe?**

**Well, you'll see. Only two more updates to this story. Chapter 6 and an epilogue. Chapter 6 is already most of the way done. We're almost finished! *sad face* But hopefully you can enjoy the final chapters! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming! Y'all make me grin. :) See you very soon!**


	7. Chapter 6: Family

**Here it is. The final chapter of I'm a Human. The final chapter of the I AM Trilogy. Although there will be an epilogue; be sure you don't miss that! I'll have more info on that in the closing author's note.**

**MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS: This chapter's flashback deals with some pretty intense stuff. Chase has gone through a lot, and I wanted his reaction to it all to be realistic. Unfortunately, that means writing something that some people might find a bit unnerving. So, warnings for: depression, self-harm (though technically it's accidental), and thoughts that could most definitely be considered suicidal. If any of those would make you feel uncomfortable, feel free to skip the flashback. I just thought I should warn you. Now, it is me, and since I don't particularly enjoy writing that kind of thing, I cut it back as much as I possibly could. But it's definitely still there.**

**Now that we have that out of the way, I hope you can enjoy the very . . . last . . . chapter. I do not own Lab Rats.**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 6: Family * * ***

* * *

Chase absentmindedly strummed a few notes on his guitar. The music floated into his ears and calmed his mind. He didn't even play a song, exactly. He just started playing whatever came to mind.

Memories of the past several weeks flew through his mind. After Marcus's death, there were a lot of questions to answer. They wound up saying that he had gone back to Oregon, to a place where there were no electronics or reception. Nicole had been heartbroken. Chase felt awful for her. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to let her and Marcus get close

Eventually Chase put down the guitar. He picked up something from his nightstand; something Tasha had allowed him to keep in his room. It was the picture of Adam, Bree, and himself. His most prized possession.

"Hey Chase!" Bree said as she entered his room.

"Hey buddy!" Adam was right on her tail.

"Hey guys," Chase greeted them. "What are you doing in here?"

"My phone isn't making any noise, and Uncle Donald is busy," Bree said. "Can you fix it?" She tossed the bejeweled pink cell phone at her brother.

"And I was bored so I followed her in here," the oldest explained. The two bionics sat down on their brother's bed. It was plenty big enough for all three of them.

"Bree, your phone is on silent," Chase pointed out. He flipped the small switch and it made a quiet beeping noise. He handed it back to his sister.

"Oh, right," Bree said sheepishly.

Chase frowned. He didn't get it. Bree was smarter than that! Especially for someone who spent so much time on her phone that it was like a third hand. She knew every nook and cranny of her beloved device.

"What's really–" he tried to say, but he was cut off by his sister.

"What are you holding there?"

"Oh. Do you guys remember this?" Chase held up the photograph.

"I remember that," Adam said with a grin, taking the picture frame into his hands. "Chase, you haven't grown a bit." Chase gave his brother a playful shove.

"That was just a month before we were separated," Bree said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Chase said. "That was the day Douglas told us that we _would _be separated. That was one of the worst days of my life."

"By far the worst was leaving you two," Adam said. "I thought about you guys every day. I'm still sorry that I couldn't protect you."

"No, Adam, don't blame yourself," Bree said, rubbing her brother's shoulder. "You did everything you could do. Douglas was too powerful and too bent on ruining our lives."

"This picture kept me alive," Chase said as he rubbed the wooden frame. The three smiling faces made him feel happy inside. For the most part he thought of his childhood as tragic, but there were those rare moments when he and his siblings managed to be at least a little bit happy. It was too bad those moments had to be drowned in the darkness.

"Really?" the female whispered softly.

"I thought that if you guys were alive, I could stay alive too. It was the only thing that kept me going every day. I hid the photo and looked at it every chance I got. Life after you guys left was a blur, and there were a lot of times when I didn't think I keep going. Looking at your smiling faces made me feel better. It reminded me that maybe someday I could get out and find you again."

"The thought of you guys kept me going, too," Bree said softly. "Even though there were some things I _didn't _miss about you bozos. But I figured that if I could survive through it, you would come for me. Waynuk was my only friend, and he gave me some hope. He kinda reminded me of you, Adam. Every time he didn't understand something – which was often – he would squint and cock his head a bit, kinda like you. And he was always reminding me to have hope."

"Leo was my only friend," Adam said sadly. "But I mean, he was a good one! And Tasha was like a mother to me. The mother I never had. No one else at the circus would talk to me. Not even the clowns! They would just smile and walk away. Or maybe they frowned . . . it was hard to tell with all that make-up."

"Donald was the closest thing I had to a 'friend,'" Chase said. "I did my best to take care of him when no one else would. He was kind of distant and stuff. I have to say, it's amazing how lively he is when he's _not _being trapped in a dungeon by his brother."

"Chase!" Adam exclaimed suddenly in a frightened voice. "I need you to promise me something!"

"What, Adam?"

"Promise you'll never turn evil and lock me in a secret underground lair for twelve years!"

"Adam, why would I do that?" Chase's face paled a bit. "Do you really think I'm like Douglas?"

"Not at all," Adam said with certainty. "But it doesn't hurt to have a safety net, right? I'll promise the same thing."

"Okay, I promise I won't turn evil and capture you."

"I promise that too."

"Feel better?" Bree asked.

"Yeah," Adam said with his usual goofy grin.

"You know," Chase said thoughtfully, "there are some other things besides the photo that gave me hope."

Chase leaned over and opened the drawer on his nightstand. Three objects – well, three and a half – sat inside the drawer. Carefully he pulled them out and put them in the center of his bed.

One item was the quarter. His only souvenir from the outside world for most of his life. They had all gone to the fast food restaurant _together. _They got in trouble there _together. _They had fun – _together _– before they were torn apart.

One item was a pink hair band. It had been shoved into Chase's hand by his heartbroken sister. She had given it to him so he would remember her. It barely even looked pink now; it was covered in dirt and stains and looked more black than anything. But it was still a wonderful gift in Chase's eyes.

One item – and a half – was a twig. It was no longer Y-shaped. It had snapped a long time ago. One piece of perfectly straight; the other was also straight, but it had a little bump sticking out in the middle of it. Nevertheless, it was still the 'magical' stick Adam had given Chase when they were very young.

"I know where all these came from," Bree murmured. She picked up the hair band and started fingering it.

"You broke the stick," Adam said mournfully.

"I'm sorry, Adam," Chase quickly apologized. "It's so old and it got moved around a lot last year."

"It's okay. It's still magical." In his heart, Chase knew his brother really thought that about the stick. It would always be magic to simple-minded Adam. That was one of the things that made his brother so amazing.

"You kept all these things?" Bree whispered softly.

"Of course," Chase said. "They reminded me of you."

"That's so sweet."

For several moments, there was silence. The siblings looked over Chase's treasures and marveled at the meaning behind all of them. Simple little objects; in the grand scheme of things, unimportant objects. But special because they represented someone special. They meant the world to Chase, because his siblings meant the world to him.

"I really missed you guys," he murmured softly.

"I missed you too," Bree said.

"Me too," Adam agreed.

They leaned in to embrace each other. After all their crazy adventures, their bonds were as strong as ever. Everything they had been through melted away when they were with one another.

_I'm a weapon._

_ I'm a monster._

Two lies Chase had always believed about himself. Here, now, with his siblings' arms around him. He knew the truth.

_I'm a human._

_ I am loved._

* * *

_Chase sleepily opened his eyes. He started to walk forward . . . only to have his face slam into something. He groaned, suddenly fully awake._

_ "Just push on the door, it's not that hard," a muffled female voice said._

_ Chase just glared at his sister as he walked out of his capsule. As he walked around the control panel for the capsules, he accidently bumped against the corner. He hissed as pain shot through his side._

_ "Where's Adam?" Chase asked as he rubbed his right side._

_ "Upstairs getting breakfast," Bree answered. "Man, someone woke up on the wrong side of the capsule this morning!"_

_ Chase ignored her comment and instead walked to the elevator. As he rode up, he couldn't help but notice how he felt sick to his stomach. Not quite physically; he didn't feel like he was going to throw up. But he felt sick nonetheless. Something didn't feel quite right. Unless he was mistaken, this was going to be 'one of those days.' Chase sighed._

_ The elevator doors opened and the first thing Chase smelled was sausage. Ugh, he hated sausage. As he headed into the kitchen, the rest of the family greeted him. Chase spotted scrambled eggs in the pan. Those he would eat._

_ Tasha handed him a plate full of eggs, no sausage. Chase smiled half-heartedly at her. He appreciated her thoughtfulness._

_ Chase sat down at the table between Adam and Leo. Donald sat at the head of the table, swiping his finger across a DavenTablet. Bree entered a few minutes later and started making plans with Tasha to go shopping later that day. It was a normal Saturday morning._

_ "Are you not hungry, Chase?" Leo asked when he noticed Chase was just pushing his eggs around with his fork._

_ "I'll eat it if you want!" Adam offered._

_ "Here," Chase said, pushing his plate towards his brother._

_ "Sweetie, don't you want to eat that?" Tasha asked._

_ "No," Chase mumbled._

_ Tasha tried a different approach. "Honey, you need to eat."_

_ "I don't want to eat."_

_ "Donald."_

_ "What?" The tech mogul looked up._

_ "Tell Chase he needs to eat."_

_ "Well if doesn't want to eat–"_

_ "Would you quit it?" Chase shouted. "I'm just not hungry! Is that a crime?" Chase stood up suddenly, knocking the chair over in the process. He started to head down the hall._

_ "Where are you going?" Leo called after him._

_ "I want to be by myself for a few minutes, okay?" Chase shouted back. "Just leave me be!"_

_ As he stormed away, Chase heard his sister mumbling something to the rest of the family. "He was like that when he woke up," she said. "I think I know what's going on. Give him some space, okay?"_

_ Chase didn't even care anymore. He stormed down the hall, blindly wandering through the mansion. After a few minutes, he found himself passing by the bathroom. He couldn't resist. He knew it would only make things worse, but he just had to look._

_ The youngest bionic stepped inside, shut the door, and locked it. He didn't want anyone following him in. Chase looked up, meeting his own eyes in the mirror._

_ It was the same as always. Chase couldn't help but see the things that made him so much like Douglas. It only got worse with time. It made his chest hurt to think about it._

Douglas was right, you know. No one loves you. No one cares. They hate you. Why are you even here? You are a monster. You are a monster. You are a monster.

_Chase bit his lip as tears stung the back of his eyes. His chest started heaving with the effort it took to hold back his pain. The voice inside his head got louder. It whispered in his ears and only made him feel even worse._

You're a mistake. You're a danger to society. Wouldn't the world just be better off without you? You know it would. Why even bother with your siblings? They would be just fine without you. Even they don't love you.

_That clinched it. With a furious scream, Chase started clawing at his ears. "No! No, no, no!" he shouted over and over again._

_ Chase stopped suddenly when he felt the tips of his fingers get sticky. He stared down at his nails in half-fascination, half-shock. Little flecks of blood sat on the tips of his nails. As he looked in the mirror, Chase saw the red scratches next to his ears. Some of them were bleeding._

_ Chase sunk to his knees in front of the sink. He couldn't contain it anymore. He let the tears flow free. They streamed down his face and dripped onto his clothing. They just wouldn't stop._

_ The bionic felt weak sitting in the bathroom and crying. But he couldn't control it. With every drop he felt angrier at himself. Why couldn't he be strong? He was fifteen! He was better than this! Why was he crying? Those thoughts, ironically, just made the tears flow faster._

_ Chase felt hurt, angry, scared, and . . . just plain awful. He felt so much pain and agony. He just wanted it to go away. He willed his heart to stop beating; his lungs to stop breathing. He didn't want to keep going. Chase drew his knees closer to his chest._

_ The sobs burst out of his throat and filled the room. Every now and then they were punctuated by a scream of frustration. Chase couldn't control any of it. It was like being under the Triton App all over again._

_ There was a knocking sound on the door and a few frantic voices calling his name. Chase quieted his sobbing a bit. He wiped his face, but it did no good since the tears were still flowing._

_ "Chase, let us in. Please. Please. Don't do this to us. You need to open the door."_

_ "Come on, buddy, you need to let us in. Seriously. This isn't a joke. It's not funny like all the time I toss you around."_

_ "Please!"_

_ "Chase!_

_ "I'm begging you!"_

_ "Open up!"_

_ Slowly Chase lifted his hand. Using molecularkinesis, he turned the handle. It clicked as it unlocked, but Chase did not open the door. He just lowered his arm._

_ Adam and Bree opened the door and came tumbling in. Chase supposed he must've been a sight, with blood smearing his face and tears streaming down his cheeks._

_ His siblings dropped down beside him. Bree reached out to pat his back, but before she could Chase let his body fall forward. He placed his head in Bree's lap right as a fresh round of tears started. Bree seemed surprised at first, but she just started stroking his hair and murmuring sweet words of comfort to him._

_ Adam sat next to Bree, gently rubbing his younger brother's shoulders. At first it seemed a bit awkward, but the older boy slowly eased into it._

_ "Chase, please, just talk to us," Bree said suddenly. "What's on your mind?"_

_ "Y-You don't want to know," Chase mumbled between tears._

_ "We can handle it," Adam said._

_ Chase sniffled a couple of times. Finally he said, "I hate me!" The words rang out through the bathroom, rendering Adam and Bree speechless. Chase, however, was not. "I hate me. I hate me. I hate me." He kept repeating the words like a broken record. Now that Chase had said it, it was the only thing he could say._

_ After a few moments, Chase felt something wet fall into his hair. It felt like a teardrop. But there was no way it was his own. He turned his head upward and saw that tears were starting to stream from Bree's eyes. Adam wasn't crying, but he looked like he was about to._

_ "Why?" Bree mumbled. "Why?"_

_ "Don't you know how much _we _love you?" Adam said. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!"_

_ "B-But . . ." Chase stuttered._

_ "No," Bree said quickly. "No. Forget what I said. Don't say anything. I don't want you destroying yourself anymore than you already have. Adam's right. We love you."_

_ "And we'll always be here for you."_

_ "There's no reason to hate yourself. You're amazing."_

_ "Yeah, you're the best little bro I could ever ask for."_

_ "You're our baby brother. Don't ever put yourself down like that. Chase, you're breaking my heart. Don't ever say something like that again."_

_ "We love you, buddy. We'd do anything for you."_

_ "And he means anything. We'd be willing to _die _for you. So don't you dare hate yourself. That makes our love meaningless. We love you more than anything."_

_ "Anything," Adam repeated._

_ Chase still hadn't stopped crying. He buried his face in Bree's jeans. Quietly he mumbled, "I love you too."_

_ It's amazing how exhausting crying can be. Chase felt himself begin to drift off to sleep. He felt his siblings around him, comforting him and reassuring him. Everything would be okay._

You're a disgrace. A burden to your family. You were created to be a weapon, nothing more! Monster. You're a pathetic human being. Quit fooling yourself. You . . .

No! _a new voice shouted. _No! I'm not! They love me! They care for me! Stop it! You're the one lying to me! Adam and Bree love me. They do. I know they do. I don't have to be scared. I know the truth.

_Chase fell asleep in the arms of his siblings. The depression drifted away and was replaced by a warm feeling of peace. Adam and Bree were there. They loved him. They truly loved him. And they were together again. Chase could wish for nothing more._

* * *

**Yay! So I like happy endings . . . sue me! Although it wasn't entirely happy, considering the flashback. Did I make you tear up at all? How did you guys like the sibling fluff? There was a lot of it, wasn't there?**

**Okay, so, final update: this Saturday. The epilogue will be posted. I won't be putting an author's note at the beginning, so I'll say something here. The epilogue will be unlike anything I have done for the entire trilogy. I've already started writing it and I'm very excited. I hope you guys will enjoy it as well. By the way, you should be thanking Tie Dye Pencils right about now. I wasn't sure whether I would do the epilogue or not, but I explained my idea to her and she told me that I should do it. So big thanks to her for getting you that one final update on this story!**

**I will be saving all the sentimental sap for the final author's note on the next chapter. I have a lot to say to all you wonderful folks who read my stories. :3**

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. What do you guys think will happen in the epilogue? What surprising things do I have planned? Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks so much for reading. See you on Saturday for the official end of the I AM Trilogy.**


	8. Epilogue

*** * * Epilogue * * ***

* * *

Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Same track. Same path. Same constant motion. Nothing changed.

The close walls stared him down, mocked him. They were so stained with dirt and blood that you could hardly tell they had once been white. There was a slit in the wall that some people might call a window. It was impossible to see out of because it was so foggy.

The room was bleak and bare. Nothing astounding or unusual about it. It looked like every other room of its kind. Dirty walls, dirty floor, dirty human inside.

He sat down on the cot along the wall, taking a break from all the pacing. That's all there was to do. Sit and pace, sit and pace. Eat when the food came and take a nap every now and then. Life was monotonous and continuous and boring.

At least he had his mind to keep him entertained.

But lately his mind seemed to be against him. He couldn't quite describe it, but the feelings he had been having lately were different than normal. And yes, contrary to popular belief, he _had _feelings.

He sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair. Halfway through he stopped, letting his fingernails dig into his scalp. Then he buried his face in his hands, hardly knowing what to do with himself.

No matter what he tried to think of, he always came back to the same thoughts. The thoughts about his family. What a strange word: family. Why did he even care? It's not like he ever did before.

There he went again!

Alone in a small room with his thoughts. Ah, there was something he could think about! Alone. He was alone.

He was a menace, they said. Too dangerous, they said. Not violent, like the others. Not angry, like the others. But rather crafty, cunning, wily; he was too smart for them. So that's why they locked him up in here. Completely and utterly alone.

At least his clothes weren't orange.

Unlike most others, he was capable of keeping his sanity even during long periods of isolation. Every now and then cries could be heard from outside; cries from those in the same position as him. They weren't as strong. They broke. He wouldn't break.

Not like he broke his family.

Again!

What was it he was feeling? Why was his mind so bent on reminding him of his past? Why couldn't he shake these irritating thoughts?

Was this a mid-life crisis? An awakening? Or a bunch of random, meaningless emotions caused by too much time by himself? He was prone to believe the last option.

But what if it wasn't? What if his conscience was really trying to tell him something? He had been ignoring it for so long, he supposed.

Finally he sighed in defeat. Let the thoughts come. Let the memories come. He bowed his head, ready for whatever happened next.

_ The way he had broken his brother._

He had memories from times long ago. He and his brother were geniuses together; they built things together; they worked together. They were inseparable, the best of friends. Their bond was so strong that they survived the hardships of a fledgling business . . . together.

But something happened in that time. Something he couldn't explain. Or, maybe he could. It was one emotion. One hard, hurtful, hateful emotion. He supposed it had always been there; looking back, it_ was _always there. But that didn't excuse it.

Jealousy.

He stood back while his brother won the awards. He stood back while his brother got the praise from their parents. He stood back while his brother did this, did that, was praised and honored and applauded while _he _stood behind the curtain. That stung.

Did that excuse what he did? He didn't want to answer that question. He did something illegal, something immoral, just for attention. He could've done so much with them, but his brother just had to ruin it. That was when he snapped. His brother wouldn't be the one in the limelight anymore. He took his brother away, not to be seen for many years. He treated his own sibling like a criminal – no, worse than a criminal. And he knew it.

_ The way he had broken his kids._

It was the atrocity of atrocities. One did not simply hurt his own children. Many people saw it as a terrible crime – because it was. For years he excused it with the fact that they were his _experiments_, not his _kids_. But that didn't make it any better.

As they grew and matured he became painfully aware of . . . of their humanity. They were not simply test subjects that could be controlled and manipulated. They were complex human beings with emotions and feeling and ambitions and passion.

So he fed them lies – lies that they were not humans. His youngest became the brunt of that. He called his son some awful things, because perhaps he wanted his son to _be _those things. He didn't _want _his son to be human. Humans were wild and free; they had passion and desire and feelings that just couldn't be squelched. So he told his son that he was a monster. That he was a weapon.

He knew very well that those were lies; his son was much better than that. Much better than him. But he _wanted _his son to be those things, so that's what he told him.

And it wasn't just his youngest son, either. His daughter and his eldest also received terrible treatment. He sold them – _sold _his _children _– to people he _knew _were not very good. He allowed them to get hurt and didn't ever second-guess his decision.

Even that robot meant something to him. The android had been carefully crafted, even if he never worked to extend his life span. And he had been loyal . . . at least, for a while.

_The way he had broken himself._

When most people looked at him, they saw a criminal. Because, like it or not, that's what he was. He was a dirty, rotten, no-good waste of space that shouldn't even be alive.

He deserved it. He deserved all this. He knew it.

He couldn't help but wonder how life would've been different if he had heeded the warnings from those around him – especially his brother. He wouldn't be sitting in a cold cell right now, rethinking his entire life.

He was broken too. Others couldn't see that. They only saw his faults. He was a bad person, so no one would give him sympathy. They looked at him with upturned noses as if to say, "Keep wallowing around in your sorrow, because you're certainly not getting any help from me."

They judged him; hated him; denied him. No one knew his thoughts. No one knew that if given a second chance, he would change _everything_.

Or, would he?

He thought he would. He _hoped _he would. But at the same time, he didn't know. He had gone through the stages of regret before. He had thought many times, "Today will be the day I turn this all around." But he never did.

Pushing his children to the limits gave him a kind of satisfaction. He had experienced so much pain and suffering in life. It made him feel better to know that others could suffer too.

He himself could not predict what he would do the next day. Perhaps tomorrow he would regret his regret. He couldn't say. It was one of the joys of being him.

For now, however, he was sure of how he felt. He was regretful and ashamed of what he had done. This wasn't a ruse. If given half the chance, he would apologize to everyone he had hurt.

But he was never getting out. Not ever. It was too late for regret. Nothing would change now. He was stuck in this dirty room with a monotonous routine that he had better get used to. He couldn't change anything.

Or could he?

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into his fist. Hey, it was a start. He knew he would never get to say it to their faces. They were done with him. He didn't need anyone to tell him so. He couldn't blame them. He had broken them completely.

So Douglas Davenport murmured his apology in the dark, plain, cold cell. A cell which was to be his home for the rest of his miserable life.

* * *

**47 chapters. 151,957 words. 687 reviews. 79 follows. 109 favorites. 32,440 views. And that's only at the writing of this author's note. This epilogue will be another chapter and add even more words to that. Wow. Just wow. Both IAM and IAW have made into the top ten most reviewed stories in the Lab Rats archive. I'm not saying any of that to gloat; I'm saying it because I want to sincerely thank you all. Writing can only pay off when you have good readers, and boy, did I have the best out there!**

**Thank you to Scribbler123, Lady Cougar-Trombone, Death-Sama01, Dreaming about the Stars, ****rosslynchR5loverforever****, ****klausgirl4055****, ****TheBritishWannaBe****, ****beverlie4055****, ****shanzlol****, ****thewriterswayoflife****, ****gg180000****, ****amichele****, ****AllAmericanSlurp****, ****shinxshinx1595****, ****xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx****, ****Criminal Minds Love****, ****LordHelen****, ****Ra'Zara The First****, ****SamiBrit14****, ****ms. nick jonas****, ****MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul****, ****IamSHERlocked221b****, ****tiff.n.b36****, ****poofpickle****, ****ShamrockClover****, ****rotanrm****, ****DisneyXDGirl****, ****Tenacious Surrender****, ****dreamer4evera****, ****Lover chocolate and ice-cream****, ****ilovebreedavenport****, ****Avengers13****, ****Abnegation Ravenclaw****, ****KrisKat****, ****RossLynch4ever****, ****bionicgirl990****, ****Jesusfollower97****, ****dmandec****, ****Percyjacksonfangirl11****, ****UltimateRobinFan****, ****unknownfangirl10****, ****Devil in a white dress****, ****soccermonkey413****, ****Shonashee****, ****BigTimeRusher12****, ****labratslover****, ****sravyak13****, ****Doclover****, ****LBozzie****, ****Asha Davis****, ****Mia-Teresa-Davenport****, ****Scrappy42****, ****RissA15****, ****LabGirl2001****, ****ChristianCountryGirl****, ****Tie Dye Pencils****, ****Dirtkid123****, ****TheMeepyFreak****, ****DFTBAAIDLLTWBAP****, ****SuperFanG1rl****, ****horsecrazierthanyou****, ****ilfsmtiwts****, ****PurpleNicole531****, ****Thatcrazyfangirl1****, ****Phantom EH****, ****tennisgirl77****, ****Snooptastic****, ****j. liz. 8****, ****Percy-Jackson-is-the-best-ever****, ****the-amateur-with-an-idea****, ****musicdreams31****, ****AriellaHart****, ****TheMichiganWriter****, ****LRLover333****, ****Tor Raptor****, ****POPZIT****, and ****sunya the ramen addict**** for reviewing.**

**Thanks also to all my amazing guest reviewers:** **Vampire Girl, Anonymous, maddian246, PJO-obsesser, Layra, Karly, SmilingActess101, m-dawg, Chase, Bree, Whoa, soccerlover24, emilee, Kate, angel, Guest 101, daphrose fan, Unikitty101, valiantgirl3, Angel1234, shadow demon, MexicanSwagg, Someone, Elexis, daphrose fan 2, and everyone who just signed themselves as "Guest."**

**I would love to write a little special message to each of you individually, but . . . *looks back up at list that already took an hour to put together* . . . can you forgive me if I don't? I'm still going to say from the bottom of my heart . . . THANK YOU! Some of you only said 'love it,' some of you left long, detailed reviews about what you liked, some of your reviewed only once, some of you reviewed every single chapter, but every single one made me smile so much. I can barely write this because of all the tears in my eyes.**

**Thank you also to all of my silent readers. I know you guys exist because I used to be one myself. I really hope that you liked the story as well.**

**Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me this far. I can't believe that when I'm done editing this chapter and uploading it, I'm going to click on that little 'complete' button and it will be all over. I'm a Weapon was published on April 23****rd****. That's just over five months ago, and not long after I joined, either. You know, in five days it will be my half-year-anniversary on this site? WHAT?! It seems like forever ago and yesterday that I joined. I've made amazing friends, read some spectacular stories, and genuinely grown as a writer. I look back at the prologue of IAW and laugh; nowadays I would've written that **_**so **_**differently! But you guys seemed to like it, because you read it and stuck with it.**

**Man, it sounds like I'm saying goodbye forever! Don't worry, that is certainly not the case! I'm only getting started on this site. Sometime in the following week (hopefully) I will be posting a story called "The Strange Case of Chase and Spike." It is ten chapters long and I will upload one chapter every night until it is completed. No long waits on that story! Sometime soon I will be uploading a story called "We Deserve Freedom." If you're a fan of dystopian societies (such as those in The Hunger Games or Divergent), then you'll like this story. It's about Bree's daughter and the world they live in. I hope you'll check that out when I post it! (Probably in a few weeks; or maybe sooner!) I am still planning to make a sequel to "Just Another Girl," but that's still a ways away. I'm focusing on other things and I'm having trouble with the plot. If anyone wants to help, feel free to PM me! My point, though, is that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.**

**I hope that you'll review this chapter, because, even if it's over, your reviews still make me feel so happy. I appreciate your feedback more than I can say. I'm so glad that you guys have enjoyed reading this trilogy. I have enjoyed writing it. I'm going to miss working on an I AM story. It will be so weird!**

"**What would have happened if Donald had failed to rescue Adam, Bree, and Chase from Douglas?" – That's how this whole thing got started. One simple little question that became a massive plot with the best readers in the world.**

**Long author's note, wow! I hope you're still with me. XD**

**THANK YOU AGAIN! For the very, very final time, I do not own Lab Rats. I hope you enjoyed this small little trilogy I wrote for you guys. Feel free to review; they make me smile. :3 I hope to see you guys on another new story! Follow/favorite me for more. Thank you again, and, for the last time, GOODBYE! :')**


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